Shu Chen

Chapter 139 Hope
Today, after a few days of light snow, it is rare to see the sun.

The non-frozen Taoshui meanders cheerfully to the north, making this valley full of mountains and rivers misty and enchanting.

Didao, quite far from the city gate, there is a small house surrounded by yellow mud walls and wood.

Some of the houses are old, the lintels covered with mixed thatch and reeds have been eaten by countless moths, and the old mottled fences are dotted in the silver-white snow layer, enclosing a few buttresses and chicken coops in the courtyard.Even at the end of the year, when there are frequent heavy snowfalls and light snowfalls, it can't cover up the faint smell of feces in the air.

Behind the simple porch is a stone-paved path that spreads in the yard and leads directly to the house, which is only enough for one person to pass.

If you don't want to be wrapped in slush mixed with chicken manure, your feet will be covered.

Jiang Liu, who came back slowly, pushed open the door of his house and frowned slightly.

He lightly covered his nose, turned his head to the side, closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the slightly chilly air to calm down before he stepped in.

He is the hero of Longxi County.

A bureaucrat whose authority is not great, but who is small but indispensable.

However, after ten years of poor work in this position and no progress in his official career, Jiang Liu felt that this official position was like a tasteless one.

It is a pity that it is tasteless.

In fact, he could have had better prospects.

But his official career, success or failure is all because of having the surname "Jiang".

The Jiang family was originally a prestigious Haoyou in Jincheng County, and was once comparable to the Qu family in Xiping County.

His clan uncles Jiang Shi and Xiping Quyan were both Han Sui's generals. During the Qiang rebellion that exhausted the strength of the Han Dynasty, the Jiang family in Jincheng ignored all the powerful families in the county.

Later, Jiang Shi and Qu Yan dedicate Han Sui's head to Wei Wu Cao Cao, and they are even more outstanding for a while.

However, the good times did not last long.

After Jiang Shi died of illness, Qu Yan went to the Haoyou rebellion in the four counties of Hexi.

Countless fields and pastures were forcibly confiscated by the government, and family assets were also lost in the military chaos.

It wasn't until Qu Ying, a descendant of the Qu family in Xiping, rebelled against the family's loneliness, and the Jiang family had nothing to do with it, that Cao Wei returned some farmland symbolically out of a desire to appease the local people.

It's just that the Jiang family no longer has the background of a powerful and powerful family.

This is the eternal regret in Jiang Liu's heart.

Although his branch took root in Longxi County many years ago.

However, at that time, Jiang Liu still held the hope of regaining his family's reputation.

Because Xu Miao, the former governor of Longxi, when the Quyan rebellion failed and all the officials in the Jiang family were dismissed, Jiang Liu moved to Longxi County and did not participate in the rebellion, and tried his best to ensure that he continued to serve as the governor of the county. Later, he was promoted to meritorious service officer.

After Xu Miao became governor of Liangzhou, Jiang Liu felt that the future was promising.

He felt that as long as he worked diligently and accumulated more official reputations, Xu Miao, who appreciated him a lot, would one day recommend him to the imperial court, and be the prefect of a small county or a wealthy county magistrate.

It also gave him the opportunity to reorganize the lintel and replace the main branch with a branch to become Xiliang's new Jiang Shihaoyou.

However, the Han army attacked Longyou and Youchuju counties and surrendered, which completely shattered his dream.

He has been up and down in his official career for a long time. It is not difficult for him to know how precious the county magistrate and prefect official positions with real power are in the small and established Han court.

At the very least, he who was forced to surrender under coercion has neither merit nor virtuous reputation, and he might not dare to hope for it within ten years.

However, how many decades are there in life?

He is already over forty years old!
As a person who lives in this barren soil in the northwest, when he is appointed as the prefect of a small county, he fears that his life will be short, and he will not have the energy and time to sow the glory of his family.

Moreover, can the Han court hold onto Longyou for ten years?

Regarding this, Jiang Liu didn't have any hope in his heart.

In the first half of his life, he witnessed numerous changes in ownership in Longyou.

He also felt that in front of the powerful soldiers of the Wei State, the next change of ownership in Longyou would not be too far away.

Therefore, his struggle will eventually be in vain.

With the strict laws of the Wei State, when Longyou is occupied again, even if they do not have the head of the Han court, they will be dismissed and returned home.

That is to say, no matter which one he chooses, the fiery hope in his heart withered in the cold spring when Longyou changed hands, and was buried in the snowflakes that are falling all over the sky today.

His heart is dead.

Most of the time, God plays a vicious role to be cursed by the times and all living beings; there are also a few times when he plays the role of a loving god, to be admired and worshiped by all living beings in the world.

For example, since ancient times, the way of heaven is good for reincarnation, and let the world know what it means to "see heaven with pity".

Or in other words, when a person's fortune is extremely bad, he should be Tailai.

At the moment of Jiang Liu's despair, when he was walking in the endless darkness, God gave him a ray of hope.

It was Xu Miao, the former nobleman, who gave him another chance.

At the beginning of October in winter, a squire who had been with Xu Miao for more than ten years gave him a piece of cloth in the middle of the night.

On the cloth, there were only a few lines of words, but he, who was in the abyss, witnessed the rising sun hanging on the top of the mountain.

If he is willing to act as an internal communication for the Wei State, when the Wei State sends troops to Longxi County, no matter whether the Wei army can drive the Han army in Longyou back to Bashu, the Wei State will return Jiang's original fields and pastures in Jincheng County!
Moreover, grant him the post of prefect of Zhangye County, Hexi!

He couldn't refuse such a favor.

Nor will it be rejected.

Especially after hearing that Longxi prefect You Chu sent a letter, sternly rejecting Xu Miao's proposal!

Ge Yinju Longxi County, the person who is most qualified to find out the movements of the Han army in Longyou, besides You Chu, is him.

Wei Guo and Xu Miao can only rely on him.

He has become indispensable.

As long as he agrees, Wei Guo will reward him heavily in order to set an example and win the hearts of Liangzhou and Longyou aristocratic families with the Han court.

In fact, he replied to Xu Miao with a pen that night.

"The envoy's kindness in the past has not yet been repaid. Now that I am trapped in rebellion against Shu, I have already surrendered, and the envoy still does not give up. If I don't kill myself to repay, I will still have a face to live in the world!"

He is over [-] years old and already gray haired, very impassioned, bursting out with boundless fighting spirit.

He also used the convenience of his position to quietly inquire about the changes in the garrison in Longxi County, the number of troops in the siege and guard points, and the amount of food and supplies that were distributed to various places every time. , and passed it on to the spies Xu Miao sent to help him.

Day after day, without getting tired.

He also looked forward to the day with increasing anxiety that the military flag with the word "Wei" flew again in Longxi County.

However, he didn't know that the Han army had the same thoughts as him.

More urgent than him, Wei Jun could set foot on the soil of Longxi County as soon as possible.

(End of this chapter)