In Bingxu, the tenth year of the prosperous period, some strangers from Wu and Yue helped the rebels and built tunnels and strongholds in coastal towns to defend Yong's army. Although the Yong's army was strong, they could not get in, and Wu and Yue gradually became peaceful.
——"Zi Zhi Tong Jian·Yong Ji IV"
The blue sea is tidal, the clouds are thick, and it is about to rain. But the young man sitting on the beach rock has a heavy look on his face, and has no intention of going back to take shelter from the rain. He is from Zhenhai, Wu County, and came to Donghai Sea in the 12th year of Tongtai.
The army came ashore to plunder. His father and brother were both excellent blacksmiths. The weapons they made were famous in Wu and Yue, so they were robbed and taken away. Only his mother, brother, sister-in-law and two nephews were left behind. He was not at home at the time, so he was spared.
Difficult. Later, he joined the rebel army. He only hoped that the Yong army would never come ashore to plunder. The deeper hope was to see his father and brother. But he didn't know whether his father and brother were still alive. Thinking of this made him sad.
Just as his eyes were getting hazy, his eyes flashed unintentionally, and he saw several light boats coming through the wind and waves, and they were all Yong Jun wearing soft armor. He was shocked, stood up and shouted: "Yong Jun is coming.
, Yong's army is coming." But it was going to rain today, and the rebels patrolling this section of the coast were all too lazy to look forward to the future. Although the young man shouted loudly, no one heard him. Not far away, he heard the sound of wind in his ears.
He threw himself to the side, and there was a cry of surprise from behind him. He slashed the air with his sword, and the man slashed horizontally. The young man dodged to avoid it, but was kicked down by another Yong Army sergeant. The attacking sergeant took the opportunity to point his sword at him.
Holding the young man's throat, he asked coldly: "How many rebels are there in the village? Where is Yunzi Mountain?"
The young man kept silent, with a stubborn look in his eyes. The Yong Army sergeant smiled slightly, and without asking any questions, he swung his sword and was about to cut it down. The young man suddenly asked: "Who made your sword?" The blade paused.
, stopped suddenly, and only scratched a bloody mark on the young man's neck. At this time, except for the sergeant driving the sea boat, the rest of the Yong army had already come ashore one after another. One of them had slightly different clothes and armor, and he was obviously the leader.
He heard the young man's question, stepped forward and said with a smile: "Don't you know, our army kidnapped many craftsmen from Wuyue, and these people were incorporated into the Dinghai craftsman camp, and his swords are the most famous swordsmiths in Zhenhai.
Made by Gongsun Mo."
A trace of uncontrollable joy flashed in the young man's eyes, and he asked in a trembling voice: "He is still alive, but where is his son?"
A meaningful look flashed in the eyes of the sword-wielding sergeant, and he said: "Are you talking about Gongsun Bang? The swords he made are also good, but he is better at making crossbows."
The young man couldn't help but shed tears. His father and brother were still alive, and he couldn't contain his joy at finally getting news about his relatives. The sergeant's cold voice came to his ears: "What is your relationship with Gongsun Mo? What is your relationship with Gongsun Mo?"
There are many rebels. If you confess honestly, I will spare your death."
A bright light flashed in the young man's eyes, and he said: "You have kidnapped my flesh and blood and invaded my hometown. Even if I die, I will not tell you the intelligence of the rebels." After saying that, he stood up and hit the blade with his throat. The sergeant had sharp eyesight and quick hands.
, quickly put away the knife, but still cut a big wound on the young man's neck. Blood gushed out. The young man's vision began to blur, and he felt strong regret in his heart. If he could tell his mother the good news that his father and brother were still alive, he would die.
It doesn't matter, but now my mother has to bear more grief.
Looking at the unconscious young man, a cold light flashed in the eyes of the leading sergeant, and he said: "He is a good man, give him a good time."
The sword-wielding sergeant's eyes flashed, and he whispered a few words in the ear of the leading sergeant. After hearing the words, the leading sergeant thought for a moment and said: "Let's do it like this. He is not seriously injured. Wrap up his injuries and let him go."
He is left to fend for himself."
The leading sergeant thought for a moment and said: "Good idea, let's do it like this." After saying that, he walked towards the beach. In front of him was the sea wall. Not far beyond the sea wall was the rebel barracks. A landing and sneak attack was already underway.
The Donghai Army was familiar with the combat methods, and although the rebels were brave and good at fighting, they were still unable to guard against them. Behind the sergeant, the Yong Army sergeant naturally formed a battle formation and walked forward, with solidified murderous intent rising into the sky.
When the young man was woken up by the rain, he felt an excruciating pain in his neck. He struggled to get up and looked around, but there was no one there. He was lying on the seawall, and his neck had been bandaged. He staggered.
He stood up staggeringly and ran towards the camp. He fell down countless times and was covered in mud. When he reached the camp, he was stunned. He saw corpses scattered inside and outside the camp. It was raining heavily.
The rainwater mixed with blood and flowed from inside and outside the tent. The young man leaned down, feeling filled with grief and anger. After a long time, he stood up and looked around inside and outside. Although his face was covered with blood and tears, his eyes were full of tears.
With a little more energy, he whispered: "Great, not all dead, not all dead." He counted the corpses of more than thirty people here. There were originally a hundred people stationed here, and it seemed that most of them should be
Even if he escaped, even the worst outcome would be to be captured by Yong's army and taken to Dinghai. Based on what he knew today, those brothers were not necessarily dead. Thinking of this, he felt relieved. But he suddenly thought of those Yong soldiers.
The Yong army interrogated him about his words. They came for Mr. Yun. If those companions fell into the hands of the Yong army and confessed under severe torture and told the whereabouts of Mr. Yun, wouldn't it be extremely bad? Mr. Yun presides over the coastal villages.
The tunnel involved construction, and he had worked so hard, so how could he be harmed? Thinking of this, he cheered up and decided to report what happened here to Mr. Yun and let him hide temporarily. At this time, there was thunder and lightning in the sky.
, heavy rain poured down, and the world was covered with mist. There was almost no human figure a few feet away. The young man's staggering back quickly disappeared in the rain and mist, but he didn't know that two dark figures were following behind him.
shadow.
The waves are rolling, surging beneath the cliff that stands thousands of feet tall. There are jagged rocks under the cliff, and the waves crash against the shore, like thousands of piles of snow. There is endless murderous intent hidden in the blue waves. It is clear after the rain, and Jing Xin stands on the cliff, with his heart in his heart.
Sighing lightly, it had been three years since he left Jiaxing. Thinking of crossing the vast blue sea to reach the hometown he missed every day, he felt more and more sad in his heart.
The sound of light and steady footsteps reached his ears. Jing Xin did not turn around, but simply said: "Brother Huo, why are you free to come here today?"
Huo Cong smiled slightly. In the past three years, Jing Xin was still worried about him, and he didn't care. He stood next to Jing Xin and said, "Sir, I have an order to go to Jiangnan to see him."
Although it was just a faint sentence, Jing Xin trembled, and after a long time he said with a hint of ridicule: "Congratulations to Brother Huo. Brother Huo has been trapped at sea for the past few years, and I am afraid he is not much freer than Jing. Now that Jiaolong is out at sea, he no longer needs to be trapped."
You must be extremely happy to be in the shallows, right?"
Hearing this, a smile flashed in Huo Cong's eyes and he said: "Brother Jing is serious, I am staying in Dinghai, but it is because the sea route is blocked and the land route is difficult to travel, and the Duke of Jinghai still has someone to rely on, so I am staying in Dinghai."
Stay in Dinghai. Moreover, Jinghaigong settled more than 500,000 civilians kidnapped from Wuyue on hundreds of small and large islands around Putuo. The territory is vast, the islands are numerous, and the household registrations are dense. I have been ordered to temporarily replace Putuo County.
The order, with its busy government affairs, is nothing more than the head of a county. He manages half a million prisoners who are suspicious and hostile, and also provides food, grass and supplies for the army. Such an important task is handed over to the next young man who has never been crowned. It is already a very important task.
How can we talk about the dangerous shoal where the dragon is trapped?"
Jing Xin heard this and sneered: "With Brother Huo's talent, let alone the head of a county, he is more than enough to be a magistrate and a county governor. If he is trapped in Putuo and manages the captives like us, isn't he overqualified and underused?"
Huo Cong smiled and said: "Brother Jing underestimates the position of the county magistrate. In the past few years, Brother Jing has helped me do a lot of things, such as clearing wasteland and farming, collecting money, food, and punishment. These common tasks look simple, but they are difficult to do."
There are so many things, Brother Jing still doesn’t remember how embarrassed I looked?”
Jing Xin couldn't help but chuckle, and the awkward atmosphere disappeared in an instant. He thought that in the past three years, this young man had led the captive Wuyue people here to build houses, farm, fish and hunt, and turned the desolate Putuo Islands into a paradise where they could live and work in peace and contentment. Although
There were still Yong troops fighting outside, and islanders were recruited from time to time to serve in Dinghai, but in the end nothing more terrible happened. However, what Huo Cong said was indeed true. Jing Xin originally didn't pay attention to those trivial common affairs, but this young man was
He was pulled by his side to handle government affairs together, almost to the point of being so busy that he realized that even a small county magistrate was not easy to do, especially a county magistrate who started from scratch with nothing.
Seeing Jing Xin cheerful, Huo Cong felt a touch of melancholy in his heart. Although he had made great achievements in the past three years in Putuo, this did not mean that what Jing Xin said was not true. In fact, with Huo Cong's intelligence, he had already realized it
There was someone among the Huben Guards who was secretly monitoring him, and he even saw a little suspicion in Jiang Haitao's eyes. He had already understood that the gentleman had indeed imprisoned him in Putuo, but it was the vast blue sea that imprisoned him, not the
It's just swords and force. Otherwise, although the Dinghai camp blocks the way back, with the private sailing trade becoming more and more popular today, where can I not find an opportunity to return to Dayong? Does the gentleman know something? Huo Cong once thought this way
However, he even felt self-defeating. If he had done something deliberately, or if he had given an order, he could have taken his own life and saved himself from embarrassment. However, the letters that continued to arrive in the future made him feel guilty.
.
Probably because of the road blockage, sometimes I didn’t receive a single letter for ten and a half days, and sometimes I received several letters at once. Some letters explained some of the problems mentioned in my replies, and some letters
He explained the general military and political policies to himself, and each letter contained a strong sense of friendship, which made Huo Cong feel uneasy and guilty.
Although the husband's letter did not explain why he stayed in Dinghai, he asked Jiang Haitao to appoint him as the magistrate of Putuo County and asked himself to be a local official in a down-to-earth manner. Although the people under his jurisdiction were not ordinary people but captives of Wuyue, government affairs were
Even more arduous, he worked conscientiously as the county magistrate for three years, and was well aware of the difficulties of governing. Huo Cong knew that Jiang Zhe had worked hard, but he still could not forget Jiang Zhe's action of abandoning him in Dinghai and sending people to spy on him.
.Looking at Jing Xin, he secretly smiled bitterly. Although the Jing family was still a prisoner, he held many internal affairs positions in Putuo. The old head of the Jing family had already gone to Chang'an to recuperate with the merchant ship of the Southern Fujian Yue family. As long as
After Southern Chu was pacified, these Putuo prisoners would definitely be appointed first when they returned to Wuyue. They had a bright future. However, although I now had the power of life and death over them, I didn't know what would happen to them.
After a while, Huo Cong finally calmed down and said to Jing Xin: "I was ordered to see Mr. Jing, so I want to hand over the post of county magistrate to Brother Jing. I wonder what Brother Jing wants?"
Jing Xin was shocked at first, and then calmed down. The government affairs of Putuo have always been managed by the captured people themselves, but the post of county magistrate is held by Huo Cong, and he controls the only force on the island to suppress possible resistance. Now
After Huo Cong leaves, this position naturally needs someone to take over. Although he is from Chu, he has been very effective in assisting Huo Cong in the past few years. In addition, because of his uncle, even if he still wants to be loyal to Nanchu, I am afraid that
No one would believe it. After thinking for a long time, he finally said: "That's all, why should I deceive myself? I will take over the post of county magistrate."
Huo Cong smiled slightly, knowing that after three years, the Wuyue scholars on the island finally began to succumb and soften. Jing Xin was their leader. With him as the county magistrate, he could appease the captives on the island. Thinking of his order, he
Finally completed, even though the future is uncertain, I feel infinite joy in my heart.
After leaving Putuo and boarding a sea boat, Huo Cong let go of his worries. The commander of this sea ship had always been on good terms with him. When he saw Huo Cong standing at the stern of the ship looking at Putuo, he seemed to be very nostalgic, so he stepped forward and said with a smile: "Counsellor Huo, why do you need to hurt yourself like this?"
Huai, the Marquis of Chu has summoned you this time. I think you will be of great use in the future. We are just having a little fight here, but when we get there, we will be an iron horse and have a lot of fun."
Huo Cong forced a smile and said: "I have been at sea for three years, but I am just a little reluctant to leave it. No wonder sir always misses the East China Sea."
The commander didn't know what Huo Cong was thinking, so he just looked for some interesting things to talk to him about. Although Huo Cong responded casually, his mind had already flown thousands of miles away.
After half an hour, Huo Cong returned to Dinghai. Today's Dinghai is no longer as dilapidated as it was three years ago. The military camp on the island is solemn and solemn. You can see the crisscrossing streets everywhere. Inside the Houdao Craftsman Camp, there are jingling bells.
The sound of clanging continued all day long, and there were Wuyue craftsmen working with Donghai craftsmen to repair the ships in the dock. If they surrendered, they would be treated well, and if they resisted, they would be executed. Most of the captured Wuyue civilians had already acquiesced to the rule of the Yong army.
Of course, although many of the Wu and Yue captives surrendered, those who were able to go to Dinghai were carefully selected to prevent them from taking the opportunity to cause chaos. All these prosperous scenes were infiltrated with his own sweat, and Huo Cong felt proud in his heart.
With this intention, he walked towards the Chinese army's tent, followed by four Huben guards behind him.
After Jiang Zhe escaped from Wu Yue, almost all of these Huben guards were left in Dinghai. Later, when the war came to a close, except for half of these people who had the opportunity to go to the Yongchu front line to protect Jiang Zhe, the rest were forced by Jiang Zhe to stay with Huo Cong. However,
Huo Cong believed that he did not have the identity or need to use the Huben Guards to protect him. Finally, through the mediation of Jinghaigong, the two parties reached an agreement. In addition to Huo Cong, four Huben Guards were to be left with him at all times, and the rest of the Huben Guards followed him.
The Donghai Navy came ashore and captured Wu Yue, lest their swords become dull. Everyone was happy with this result. With the addition of these Huben guards with strong martial arts skills, they had a lot more guarantees against the martial arts masters in the Wu Yue rebel army, and Huo Cong would not
I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles, not to mention that there were no people among these Huben guards who had been ordered by Jiang Zhe to monitor him. How could he, a young man who had not officially entered the official service, dare to use the royal iron guards as his bodyguard?
Inside the Chinese army's tent, Jiang Haitao was very happy to learn that Huo Cong was coming. The young man had helped him a lot in the past three years, but Jiang Zhe ordered Huben guards to secretly send a message to him, asking him to pay attention to Huo Cong's whereabouts, which even made him angry.
Doubtful, at first I thought it was just a matter of Mr. testing his disciples, but later he sent a letter asking him to trap Huo Cong in Putuo. Although it was an important task, he was bound to the island and could not return north. Although Jiang Haitao was straightforward, he also knew that there must be something wrong with it.
, but he couldn't bear to ask more questions. After all, Huo Cong was very much appreciated by him. Thinking that Huo Cong would return to Jiang Zhe today, Jiang Zhe must have changed his mind. He was as happy as he was when he was promoted to Duke by Emperor's order in the ninth year of Longsheng.
.
Huo Cong walked into the tent and saluted Jiang Haitao. Jiang Haitao handed a document to Huo Cong and said: "If our military ships go north, it will be difficult to avoid the interception of Ninghai. However, there happens to be a ship from the Southern Fujian Yue clan going north to Korea."
, this is your identity document, there should be no problem in traveling north safely."
Huo Cong naturally knows that although the two armies have been fighting frequently in recent years, many big families in Wu and Yue have colluded with the generals of Ning Haijunshan to conduct private shipping trade, because the two shipping companies involved in the private shipping trade, Haishi and Yue, are related to the Jiang family.
Due to the close relationship, Dinghai turned a blind eye and even made a lot of profits from it. Of course, for Jiang Haitao, the most important thing is that through this kind of trade, he can obtain scarce supplies and food, which is very important to Ning Haijun.
It is very important for the East China Sea Navy to cut off the return journey. As for using two shipping companies to transmit some information and escort the messengers, this is an indescribable benefit. For the families involved in the private shipping trade, the huge profits gained from it are enough to
They ignored the consequences of endangering the enemy by doing so. If it were not for the purpose of maintaining an equal cooperative status, these aristocratic families secretly spared no effort in the Wu Yue Rebel Army, and someone would have attacked them long ago.
After handing over some official duties, Jiang Haitao said sternly: "There is one more thing that is quite embarrassing for me. Please tell me, sir, that in the past six months or so, many villages and towns along the coast of Wuyue have hired experts to dig tunnels in the villages to avoid our troops. I
I have bribed some of them and learned that those tunnels are like spider webs. If no one leads them, they will most likely go astray and be injured by the poisonous smoke of countless hidden agencies. Before our army enters the village, the villagers in the village have already taken refuge.
Even food and money were hidden in the tunnels, making our army's efforts in vain."
Huo Cong had not been involved in military affairs for a while. He was very curious and said, "I wonder who came up with this idea. Do you have any clues?"
Jiang Haitao smiled bitterly and said: "There is a little clue. I got news a few days ago that the man was presiding over the construction of a tunnel fortress near Zhenhai, so he sent out his best soldiers to raid. After they landed, they first annihilated a patrolling rebel army, and then left
I tried to trick him into being alive and led him unknowingly, and I saw the Yunzi Mountain as expected. However, he was surrounded by many expert guards. He actually allowed this man to escape under the encirclement and suppression of hundreds of warriors of our army. I was really surprised.
The army has no face. According to the confession of the prisoner, we only know that the man is a good friend of Ding Ming, the first swordsman in Wuyue. His identity is unknown, but he is the best at concealed weapons. After you see Mr., tell him about my trouble. If
There is no good way to deal with it. I am afraid that if this continues, the money and grain robbed by our army in Wuyue will become less and less. Now our army is not self-sufficient in food. If we cannot obtain a considerable amount of money and grain from Wuyue, we will be in big trouble.
"
After hearing this, Huo Cong fell into deep thought. On the surface, it seemed that Wu Yue was just a troublesome person. Why did he feel that there was something fishy in this?