The soldiers took control of the camp and brought Fan Lixiang into the big tent. Fan Lixiang knelt in front of Liu Zhang and buried her head deeply. There was no one else in the big tent except the powerful Huang Yueying.
Liu Zhang looked at Fan Lixiang, who was tightly tied with ropes, "What are you doing? Asking for forgiveness? Binding yourself to be executed? Fan Lixiang, do you think you can escape military law like this? You are so lawless, do you still think you are so self-righteous?"
The image of the self-righteous and self-centered Fan Lixiang in Jingzhou came to Liu Zhang's mind again, and Liu Zhang felt anger rushing in his chest.
The White Horse Qiang were not just seven thousand cavalry, but also the entire Qiang people's 40,000-strong army. Including Wang Shuang's wolf cavalry, there were as many as 70,000 troops.
The Baima Qiang and the Xi Qingyi, the largest tribe of the Xiqiang, are brothers. The Shenwei Army destroyed the Baima Qiang without permission. The rest of the Qiang people's hearts were at a loss, and at worst, the army turned to the enemy.
Fan Lixiang made such a big mistake, Liu Zhang didn't even know where to start.
"Li Xiang is not self-righteous." Fan Lixiang raised her head and looked directly at Liu Zhang: "Since I dare to do it, I dare to do it. The Baima Qiang set up troops to plunder, and dared to run in front of me and threaten me with soldiers. If I do it again, I, Fan Lixiang, will not do it again.
Kill him once.
Li Xiang has come here to plead guilty and is bound to be beheaded. Please give me the order, my lord."
"Okay, here comes someone, drag Fan Lixiang out and behead her."
"Lord, please spare my life."
As soon as the sergeant escorted Fan Lixiang to the tent, a large group of Shenwei Army officers came over. Liu Zhang's Dongzhou soldiers immediately drew their swords and blocked the Shenwei Army from outside. Xingdao Rong, Chen Ying and other Shenwei Army officers all knelt down.
"My lord, please spare General Fan this time."
"Yes, Qiang people are robbing, it's abominable."
"Lord, why don't you go and see those people who were robbed."
The soldiers of the Shenwei Army knelt down and shouted. Liu Zhang looked at Fan Lixiang coldly, "Do you want to give me military advice?"
"You all get out of here." Fan Lixiang shouted angrily at the kneeling Shenwei Army soldiers: "I killed the Qiang soldiers, and I, Fan Lixiang, killed the White Horse Qiang. My lord wants to chop off my head, so it's natural for you all.
Get out of my way."
Xing Daorong and Chen Ying had no choice but to retreat. At this time, Liu Min led a large number of people to the camp gate, and the people shouted loudly.
"Let General Fan go. General Fan is a good man."
"Shu Lord, please let General Fan go. She is a good general who truly serves the people."
Some people knelt down in front of the camp gate.
Liu Zhang quietly looked outside at the excited and crying people. He clenched his fists and Fan Lixiang's performance in Jingzhou made Liu Zhang feel that Fan Lixiang was all pretentious.
When she was in Jingzhou, Fan Lixiang used public opinion many times to keep her official position, but at the same time, she did not dare to touch her.
This time, it was difficult for Liu Zhang not to think so. Moreover, the consequences caused by Fan Lixiang this time were too serious. For the sake of her own prestige among the people, she ignored the entire army.
Threatening the lord with public opinion, and sacrificing the interests of the entire army to enhance one's own reputation. As a prince, which one is intolerable?
"Fan Lixiang, you are so clever." Liu Zhang said coldly.
"Lord." Huang Yueying glanced at Fan Lixiang and said to Liu Zhang: "Rong Yueying said a word, General Fan has always won the hearts of the military. The officers and soldiers of the Shenwei Army should have spontaneously interceded for General Fan, not General Fan instigated him.
As for those common people, they were obviously recruited by the Shenwei Army officers and soldiers, and their purpose was just to protect their generals, and they had no ill intentions.
General Fan is not a fool, and he does not understand the power of destroying friendly forces without authorization. This is not something that the officers and soldiers of the Divine Power Army and the people can save her from."
"You mean, is she really doing this for the people?" Liu Zhang looked at Huang Yueying.
Huang Yueying smiled faintly: "Maybe."
"Really?" Liu Zhang stared at Fan Lixiang.
Fan Lixiang raised her head, and there was a shadow of Liu Zhang in Yingying's eyes: "If I said yes, would you believe it?"
"I don't believe it." Fan Lixiang has always given her the impression that she is a person who is good at taking advantage of everything. For the sake of official position, in order to keep the official position, she can do whatever it takes and is always self-centered. According to Fan Lixiang's performance in Jingzhou, these sergeants,
These common people are the chips used by Fan Lixiang to save their lives.
Would such a person really do it for the people if he made such a big mistake?
"Then you kill me." Fan Lixiang turned her head.
Liu Zhang sneered: "How dare I kill you? I want to praise you. If I kill you now, you will destroy Baima Qiang in vain. It's strange that these people don't hate our Sichuan army to the bone. You are very smart. You know what to do."
How to do it...I will kill you after I finish it."
Fan Lixiang stared at Liu Zhang for a while, then nodded silently, with a look of determination on her face.
"Come here, untie General Fan."
Fan Lixiang walked out of the camp gate alone. The shouts of the people immediately stopped and the noise became silent. Countless eyes looked at Fan Lixiang and followed her footsteps.
Fan Lixiang bowed her hands to the people, with tears in her eyes: "Folks, thank you for coming to plead for me, Fan Lixiang. Lixiang cannot afford it. Lixiang is here to express her gratitude to everyone."
Fan Lixiang bowed deeply to the people, raised her head, and said with a tearful smile: "But you are too worried. My lord, Yizhou Shepherd Liu Huangshu, is devoted to the people and has long hated the Qiang people's behavior. Lixiang is
Only under the orders of the Marquis of Shu did I dare to take action against these insane and lawless Qiang people.
So, you really don’t have to intercede for Li Xiang. The Lord of Shu loves you and he won’t kill me. You all go back. The Qiang people are robbing, and the Lord of Shu will restrain and punish you severely. You can rest assured and live a good life.
, the Sichuan Army will not let you down."
After Fan Lixiang spoke affectionately, the people talked a lot and felt relieved. Under the persuasion of the Shenwei Army officers, they left one after another.
The sky was gloomy and the wind was blowing. Fan Lixiang walked into the tent expressionlessly and knelt down towards Liu Zhang without saying a word.
After a long silence, he said: "Lord, Li Xiang has already done what needs to be done. You can deal with Li Xiang." It is very simple for the Lord to execute a subordinate, even if this person is a general loved by the people.
Arrange for a person to die in battle, die of illness, or be killed by others, and then execute the so-called perpetrator of the crime on the spot. This not only eliminates the general who is powerful and shakes the emperor, but also wins the hearts and minds of the people.
Fan Lixiang knew these methods very well, and based on Fan Lixiang's understanding of Liu Zhang, the lord must do this.
"Kill Fan Lixiang and bring justice to the Baima Qiang warriors."
"If you don't kill Fan Lixiang, it will be difficult to calm the morale of the army."
At this moment, there was another noise outside, and Wang Xu walked in: "My lord, there are many Qiang people coming outside, demanding that Fan Lixiang be killed."
Fan Lixiang had no expression on her face, Liu Zhang waved to Wang Xu, and Wang Xu left.
Another soldier hurriedly came to report: "My lord, General Guan Yinping was kidnapped by Hua Dang, the leader of the Baima Qiang. We chased him for more than ten miles. We met the troops of Zhe Lanying, the leader of the Di people who came to support the Liang army. Hua Dang had already surrendered to Zhe Lanying.
Lanying."
"What? Zhe Lanying?" Liu Zhang frowned, remembering the night he and Zhe Lanying talked in the Diren Valley. Zhe Lanying inexplicably hated herself to the core. As a general of the Sichuan Army, Guan Yinping fell into that whimsical position.
In the hands of a woman, there is more danger than good.
Fan Lixiang's heart sank to the bottom when she saw Liu Zhang's expression, knowing that she was doomed now.
"My Lord, Li Xiang knows that he has sinned deeply and cannot escape death. Before he dies, Li Xiang has only one request... Li Xiang, can you enter the Hall of Heroes?" Fan Li Xiang looked blankly at the foot of the chair where Liu Zhang sat and said calmly.
Fan Lixiang decided to join the Sichuan Army from Guiyang with only one goal, so that she could obtain equal status with men. In this era, it was to obtain an official position.
Now, she is about to die, and Fan Lixiang doesn't want to be a flash in the pan. As the first woman to become a high-ranking official, Fan Lixiang hopes to pass on her name.
Liu Zhang took a deep breath, walked to Fan Lixiang, sat down, and whispered: "No need to kneel, sit down."
Fan Lixiang glanced at Liu Zhang and hesitated. Her legs softened and she sat on the ground.
"I still don't understand? With your intelligence, you don't understand the consequences of doing this. Why do you do this?" Liu Zhang's tone softened a lot.
"If you don't believe what I say, what's the use of saying it."
"I believe it. If you say it, I will believe it."
Fan Lixiang looked at Liu Zhang in surprise, and Liu Zhang said: "Lixiang, do you still remember the last words you said to me in the alley of Xiangyang? I still remember it, and your subsequent actions have always interpreted that sentence, just like at the beginning
You disobeyed orders and attacked Chen Sheng without permission, just like letting Pang Tong go away."
The scene of that dusk flashed through Fan Lixiang's mind. She and Liu Zhang were very drunk, and she said to him: "Lord, Lixiang will never betray you in her whole life...without conditions."
"But I don't think that can explain why you did this. There is only one explanation, which is that you said you were doing it for the people, but I really don't believe it."
"I don't believe it either." Fan Lixiang smiled: "Maybe I just want to preserve my little prestige among the people."
"In any case, the fact that you can punish yourself and persuade the people to retreat shows that you have no intention of coercing public opinion."
"My lord, do you mean not to punish Lixiang?"
"If Guan Yinping can come back alive." As a superior, the most taboo thing is for subordinates to rely on their prestige to force themselves to compromise again and again, and Liu Zhang is no exception.
But looking at Fan Lixiang's behavior, this has been ruled out, so the reason for killing her no longer exists.
The Qiang soldiers outside were noisy. Liu Zhang stood up and called Zhang Ren: "General Zhang, take some people to check the people around you who have been injured by the rebel soldiers. Anyone who has committed a murder, whether it is a Qiang soldier or a Han soldier,
All will be arrested, and anyone who disturbs the people will be killed."
"yes."
Liu Zhang walked out of the tent and took a deep breath. What Fan Lixiang said to the people completely woke him up, "Live a good life, the Sichuan Army will not let you down."
It seems that it was she who made the mistake, not Fan Lixiang. As her status increases and her scruples increase, there are always more and more reasons for herself to feel that she can sacrifice the people, for the sake of the overall situation, for the army, for victory, for the world...
…
However, if this can be forgiven for plundering and looting, then what has happened to the Sichuan Army?
He asked Guan Yinping to supervise him. Now that Guan Yinping was arrested, he was arrested because he went to persuade the Qiang people. Later, he killed Fan Lixiang who punished the rebels. What has become of him?
As a lord, he neglected his duties and killed his subordinates. Did he really become a pure warlord leader who only cared about profit?
In the early morning of the next day, Zhang Ren arrested more than a hundred Qiang soldiers who had committed murders and killed them in front of the people. He named Fan Lixiang a general and took charge of the eastern expedition.
The people cheered and the Sichuan Army's prestige among the people increased again. At the same time, Fan Lixiang's mighty army, with its image of loving the people, was essentially rooted in the hearts of the people of Yongzhou.
…
"What does Liu Zhang mean by this? Fan Lixiang exterminated the Baima Qiang without permission. Not only was he not punished, but he even sealed it and killed our people. What does Liu Zhang think of us Qiang people? There is no distinction between merit and fault, right and wrong. If this continues,
Are we Qiang people no longer slaves of the Han people?"
A group of Qiang leaders gathered together, all indignant.
Tituo, the small leader of the Western Qingyi people, said: "Damn it, 60,000 of us Qiang people, together with 100,000 of them, including the Dong Qingyi people, went to attack the Liang army, and now more than 40,000 people have died. The blood of our Western Qiang warriors has resulted in this kind of
Return?
Are those of us who have sacrificed our lives for Liu Zhang and fought to the death with the Liang army worse than a bunch of Yongzhou mud-legged people?"
"That's right, what's wrong with grabbing something? Liu Zhang himself won't let us eat enough. It's good that we didn't join the Liang army. Do you want us to starve to death?"
"That's right, that's right."
All the leaders agreed.
"Damn it." Tito stood up and said, "I think there is no future in following Liu Zhang. We can't eat enough, and we are not allowed to find food by ourselves. We are inferiors in the Sichuan army. We might as well surrender to the Liang army."
"Tito, what did you say?" Xi Fengchi, who was sitting in the main seat, gave Tito a cold look.
"Tito, stop talking nonsense." Gaota also said.
"Isn't it? What's the benefit of following Liu Zhang? I think if this continues, we will all starve to death." Tito was obviously not convinced.
"That's right." The leaders agreed.
"The Marquis of Shu will find a way to solve it." Xi Fengchi said: "The food we distribute is the same as that of the Sichuan Army. Is it possible that the Sichuan Army will also starve to death? We Xiqiang are too involved with the Han people now. It is no longer the time when we rebelled.
If they rebel, it will not only affect the entire Xiqiang, but also our people."
The only thing Wang Xu did in Xiqiang for more than a year was to deepen the relationship between Xiqiang and the Han people and completely solidify the soft-attack policy in Xiqiang.
Nowadays, the appointment of the leader of the Xiqiang basically has to go through the Sichuan Army and obtain a seal issued by the Sichuan Army. Otherwise, it will not be recognized by the Qiang people at all. Many Qiang nobles rely on exchanges with the Sichuan Army and take advantage of the discounts given by the Sichuan Army to sell at high prices.
Sell out, buy at low prices, exploit the Qiang people, and make a fortune.
If they really fall out with the Sichuan Army, not only will the entire Western Qiang people be in turmoil, but the Qiang people will be dissatisfied because of the impact on their lives, and will directly face the threat of the Eastern Qingyi Langqi.
Moreover, the financial resources of these Qiang nobles were cut off, and all their good expectations for the future were shattered.
Today's Xiqiang, if they want to rebel, it is no longer something they can do with just a scimitar.