Delong

Chapter 335 Long Shangxing (14)

The rain at the end of spring came and went quickly. After about a while, the clouds dispersed and the air became fresh again.

Chiping City is located in the southeast corner of Qinghe County. The south is connected to the port by the moat waterway. You can overlook the big river. It is also the nearest big city that flows down the river after the four gates on the opposite bank. , just like Huankou Town, there are many tall buildings and shops.

However, since the Three Expeditions, military disasters have continued, and all businesses have withered. Those shops outside the city have long been idle. Last year, when the Dragon Gang made a fortune on the other side, they were all eradicated by Cao Shancheng, so as not to become targets for siege or looters. place.

Fortunately, there are still many high-rise buildings in the city. Although it is bleak, it is enough for Cui Erlang to sit on the high-rise building and look south...Of course, Cui Erlang is not looking at the big river, but looking at it through the city wall. Sparkling running water moat.

After watching it for a long time, although the poetic and picturesque style is not as good as that of Mr. Zhang and Mr. Xie, the taste of the so-called "new rain and sunshine in Zhulou on the river, and spring water in the south of the city" is not difficult for Cui Suchen to comprehend.

"Cui Erlang is so idle!"

Just when Cui Suchen leaned on the railing to look at the water and reached the place of Wangqing, the downstairs kept thumping, and after a while, the guard in the city and Sun Wanshou, the county's prime minister, walked up quickly with a serious expression. "Didn't I tell you yesterday? Master Cao knew you were here and was coming today, why didn't you leave?!"

"If I leave, what will my dear brother do?" Cui Erlang looked back, his tone calm but straightforward. "I don't know how many people in the city have seen me coming with their own eyes, and they have been here for many days. At this time, he is coming, but I am leaving. Isn't it self-inflicted? At that time, the blame will be on my dear brother, and the military situation is here. , Do you really think that Cao Shancheng dare not kill people? What kind of world is this?"

Hearing this, Sun Wanshou softened his tone somewhat, but still couldn't hide his frown: "No matter what, he will arrive at noon, how are you going to deal with him?"

"Just meet him directly." Cui Erlang answered frankly. "He questioned him in every possible way, and I just wanted to go east and be ambushed, and I wanted to go south to be blocked..."

"That's the only way to go." Sun Wanshou was helpless, but he couldn't help but sighed for a while following what Cui Suchen had seen before. "Actually...if there were no such disturbances, from the standpoint of the three of us, it might be impossible to set up wine in this building and sing praises of spring water. How did it end up like this?"

Cui Suchen was silent at first, but when he raised his head slightly to meet the bright spring sun above his head, he suddenly remembered the billowing water after the summer rain, and then laughed for a while: "Now is the time, why can't we set up wine to celebrate spring?"

Sun Wanshou just shook his head.

In the afternoon, Sun Juncheng set up a wine in the high-rise building in the south of the city to entertain Cao Shancheng, the governor who came to inspect, and the former Xuzhou Daying Supervisor Sima and Cui Zhengzhou Fang Erlang Suchen, who was blocked here by military affairs.

A pot of wine for three people, three vegetables, three meats, and one soup. The wine is ordinary sake sold in the Eastern Capital. The vegetarian dishes are all seasonal vegetables. The meat dishes are nothing more than bacon, fried fish, and old duck. The soup is just a pot of mutton soup. For these three people It is already very frugal.

Cao Shancheng was really hungry, and he ate first after sitting down, but he devoured it eagerly, and even asked for a bowl of noodles. Obviously worried, she just sat there and watched the behavior of the two of them.

"Why did Cui Erlang abandon his official position and return to his hometown?" After eating for a while, Cao Shancheng suddenly stopped eating, put down his chopsticks and spoons, and asked directly, but the question was a bit wrong.

"Because there is nothing to do." Of course Cui Suchen would not fall into the other party's trap.

"Why have nothing to do... You are the dignified Sima of the Xuzhou Camp Supervising Army. You are a military officer. When the country is in crisis, you should stick to your duties." Cao Shancheng said in a firm tone.

"Because there is no one in Xuzhou Camp." Former Cui Sima sighed. "One hundred thousand Xuzhou sons are dead again."

Cao Shancheng was slightly taken aback, while Sun Wanshou next to him was even more embarrassed - but he didn't know who he was embarrassed for?
Cao Shancheng was silent for a long time before he continued: "Even the Xuzhou battalion suffered heavy losses. This time, the imperial court also recruited sharp men from the Eastern Capital and many troops from the Kansai garrison. Why doesn't Cui Sima continue to do his duty faithfully?"

"Not to mention that I didn't know that the imperial court would recruit many soldiers and horses at that time, even if I knew, I would have resigned faster." Cui Suchen said seriously.

"What's the meaning of this?" Cao Shancheng raised his messy thick brows instantly.

"It's very simple." Cui Suchen answered frankly. "Because Cui's family is low-level, it is not enough to monitor the dignitaries of the eastern capitals and the high-ranking families of Guanlong... In the past, it was possible to take this position because the Xuzhou Daying soldiers were all descendants of Jianghuai and Jiangdong, and most of the generals were Jianghuai generals. It is in line with court practice for me, a Zhengzhou Cui clan who was born in Longguan and Hebei, to supervise them... Now that all the Jianghuai disciples are dead, I am still there as a supervisor, am I going to be punished? People laugh at people who don't know the rules?"

Cao Shancheng couldn't refute it.

After a long while, the lord who had spent half his life in the position of county magistrate could only sigh: "The imperial court shouldn't place military and state affairs on the basis of background like this, so that those who are loyal to the emperor, patriotic and capable are restricted, while those who are incompetent and cowardly are still Take it by the handle..."

At this point, Sun Juncheng was obviously relieved, because Cao Shancheng had obviously lost his aggressiveness.

But soon, to the surprise of the county magistrate, Cui Erlang, who seemed gentle and elegant, took the initiative to attack: "How hypocritical is Mr. Cao's statement?"

"What do you mean?" On the tall building in the south of the city, Cao Shancheng raised his eyebrows, his tone was serious, almost startling Sun Wanshou. "My loyalty can be learned from the sun!"

"I'm not talking about this, but about the background of Mr. Cao's family background." Cui Suchen's face was as usual, but he could still show his sneer. "Your Majesty Cao keeps saying that the imperial court should not rely on your family background to govern the country's military affairs. It seems that you are mostly fighting for those with humble backgrounds. But I have been trapped here in Qinghe County for many days. I have been walking around, and I have heard people mention it... It is said that Mr. Cao Fu often said to people after he returned from the defeat in the plains: "The party I was ordered to serve as a national soldier only hates being inferior. I am ashamed that I can't capture and kill the dragon thief. How can I listen to the thief's bewitching and prepare to surrender?" ?Are we Tujia children like them?'What is that?"

Cao Shancheng became furious and gritted his teeth: "Cui Erlang, officials and thieves are not independent, how can you confuse them?! Besides, after you are a famous noble of the family, you are a serious official of the country's military affairs. You don't want to serve the country, but instead What's the point of speaking for thieves?"

"What's the reason, doesn't Lord Cao know?" Cui Suchen asked suddenly. "Under the nest, how can there be any eggs? Qinghe Cui's family has been unable to serve for a long time, and there are many incompetent children. At this time, it is only human nature to go east to ask for a safety talisman. Why should we set up a card first? If you are attacked and killed by the side of the road, even a person like me who is planning to go back to Henan’s home will be detained until now?! Do I still want to show you good looks?!”

Cao Shancheng let out a long breath when he heard the words, still gnashing his teeth: "I knew you were waiting for me here! The Cui clan colluded with the thieves, and I am the magistrate of the county, so I still have to indulge? I can't understand the punishment, it's already deep Hate! Hate deeply!"

Sun Wanshou looked at his chief official, his face remained unchanged, but his heart was extremely complicated, he was relieved, but also a little inexplicably frustrated:
He breathed a sigh of relief because he realized Cui Erlang's high rank and took the initiative to attack, leading the matter to the fundamental issue that Cao Fujun was most concerned about, which made it impossible for Cao Fujun to investigate the questions in turn.

The frustration is because Sun Wanshou is actually very convinced of his former subordinate and today's boss Cao Fujun, because the other party has indeed shown unimaginable responsibility in the chaos. When other people are in a mess, including him, the county magistrate is powerless. At that time, it almost turned the tide and saved the situation in Qinghe.

However, it may be that he has been in the middle and low levels for too long, and he has not met his talents for too long. In fact, this person has always been with violent emotions, and this emotion is not directed at the emperor and the uncle of the Eastern Capital who are far away from him, but rather It's against everyone else in the bureaucracy... After all, the emperor and the emperor's uncle promoted him and recognized him, but the bureaucracy has always been the direct target of suppressing him.

After Ma Mianhe's defeat this time, he even took into account the failure of the Hejian camp, and the object of his resentment also expanded to other people in Hebei.

It can't be said that he has a problem, nor can he say that he shouldn't have emotions, but in the current situation where Mount Tai is overwhelmed, this state cannot last for a long time.

He couldn't hold himself up, and neither could anyone else.

However, in the face of Cao Shancheng's outburst, Cui Suchen was still not afraid: "No matter how consciously you are relying on the Cao family, and no matter how much you hate, you should have a degree. If you go too far, you will only put yourself in an embarrassing place... I am honest today It is true that Qinghe Cui's big and small families went to Pingyuan, but it was just for peace, but because of your actions, they were pushed to the opposite side. 2627 are ignorant, and they dare not even come back when they see the sword stick In Jiangling, he was just flattened and rounded by people like Zhang San, and he reported the fields, property, and even how many practitioners and Dingkou of his family one by one. Did you stop him or push him away? "

Cao Shancheng was furious: "The Cui family surrendered to the enemy, and you still blame me for strict law enforcement?"

"If you really strictly enforce the law, you can just copy the Cui family's mansion in Wucheng!" Cui Erlang said without mercy. "You know it yourself, you can't copy it! There is a former Eastern Qi governor who I don't even know if he is a master or a Chengdan! Why do you have to poke him when you know you are not capable of doing anything? ?!"

On the tall buildings in the south of the city, there was a moment of silence.

I don't know how long it took before Cao Shancheng stood up slowly, and said to Cui Suchen word by word: "Where righteousness lies, you know you can't go there... Cui Erlang, there is some truth, I think you The son of the family of Zhong will never understand until he dies, but it is Zhang Sanlang, the first thief on the opposite side, although he belongs to the enemy, but watching him act, he still has a bit of this momentum!"

At this point, regardless of the other party's reaction, the person pointed at the other party and turned to look at his own county magistrate:

"Sun Juncheng, I know you didn't say some things last time, and I also know what you want to treat and protect him preferentially. Don't you just think that the collapse of the Great Wei to this point is all caused by saints with no virtue? Isn't it just I feel that the Great Wei is the great Wei of the saints, and the court is only the court of the saints. He abandoned himself, so why should we do our best?
"And I'm not going to tell you the truth today, but I just want to ask you, if Xue Changxiong's Guan Long general is so domineering and ignorant, is the head of such a generation of clans not responsible for the situation of the Great Wei? ?

"If meat eaters... don't need meat eaters, if everyone who eats officials and salaries obeys the law and is loyal to the country, don't say that the saints will never do anything wrong, even if the saints' minds are swaying, they will never let this world be like this It's unstoppable!"

After finishing speaking, this recognized one of the most knowledgeable and loyal county guards in Hebei, turned around and went downstairs.

Sun Juncheng was both uncomfortable and extremely upset by the final interrogation—of course he felt unacceptable that the other party was still defending the tyrant who abandoned the world, but he knew very well that if he questioned other bureaucratic generals with loyalty and duty, Cao Shancheng is definitely the most qualified person.

After the Three Expeditions, Cao Shancheng in Hebei and Zhang Xuguo in the East, that's all.

However, thinking of the current situation and the almost doomed outcome of the county lord, Sun Wanshou was so sad that he could only hide his face and remain silent.

After a long while, Cui Suchen finally got up slowly, turned around and leaned on the railing to look into the distance, but rarely lost his composure and opened his mouth. He seemed to be answering Cao Shancheng who had already left. Some seemed to be explaining to Sun Juncheng, but it was also possible that he was just talking to himself. Self encouragement:
"There are tens of millions of people in the world. No matter how few people go to righteousness, how can there be only one person? However, the road is long and difficult, and those who are slow may not be able to go far. What's more, it's better to stop and see the situation clearly than some people get lost and even get the wrong direction!"

At the end of the conversation, it was not a rhetorical question, but an assertion.

The spring water in the south of Chiping City flows continuously, sparkling, and looks like a script. It goes straight to the south and flows into the big river, and the bottom of the big river is the boundary of the plain.

That is, at noon when Cui Suchen saw Cao Shancheng, he easily drove away the other party but seldom felt it from the heart. In the plain, tens of thousands of dethroning dragon troops began to leave the Banxian camp in mighty strength, crossed the Mamian River, and went to the village. Coming from the west.

Due to the large number of troops that were dispatched at one time, there were [-] to [-] soldiers, plus supplies, craftsmen, and auxiliary soldiers in the field, it was difficult to calculate the number, and its momentum was astonishing.

In addition, the system of the Dragon Army has always been trivial, and there are many rules for dividing camps and roads, so only the army of soldiers is lined up on the official road, so that the road is covered, and the auxiliary soldiers are forced to follow all the way through the fields. Come.

Besides, all the people in the world were born in Longmu.At the foot of Lili Mountain, during the first life-and-death battle of the Dethrung Army, they agreed with the hostile Qilu officers and soldiers. They would rather wade in the water than avoid the flooded fields. Today, the spring seedlings are blooming, and the four fields are clearly defined, which is naturally more beautiful. Be careful, the last line is listed on the Longshang Trail.

Looking from a distance, it is like the confluence of hundreds of rivers, with one intention to the west, unstoppable, and it is like laying out the latitude and longitude, dividing the four fields like a chessboard.

Just as Bai Sanniang said, Zhang Xing is a person who is confident on the surface, but in fact he is extremely unconfident in his heart. He always thinks that he is a rebel who drives ducks to the shelves, and the Dragon Gang is a mob.But today, he was riding a yellow puma and stationed on a gentle slope next to Douzigang. Looking at the scene from a distance, he saw the emerald greenery complementing the ranks of the troops.

Then look back at the people around you and say:

"Everyone, who can open this long mu as a plate and carry this large army to advance westward? If we stay with us for three to five years, we will repair the system internally, enter Hebei externally, and consolidate the eastern border. Can't compete with Guan Long?!"

The people around had already seen the same gaffe, but few came to cater to him.

In fact, that night, the eight battalions that first marched on the western front, led by Xiong Bonan, Wang Shuyong, and Xu Shiren, went straight to the foot of Gaotang City and set up a stronghold on the spot.

Xue Wanbi knew that the emergency situation was coming, and he had already sent rescue messages to his back when he found out the news of the march, asking Cao Shancheng to come to rescue him, and asked Cao Shancheng to ask Qu Tuda and the troops of Wuyang, Wu'an, and Weijun to come to rescue him.Cao Shancheng didn't dare to be negligent, and flew directly from Chiping to the pre-set position, which is Boping County behind Gao Tangzheng in the Zhangnan-Licheng-Gaotang-Chiping line of defense, and then flew his horse here Quartet, ask the counties to come to rescue.

A day later, as a matter of course, before the replies from the various counties arrived, the red-bottomed "舍" flag had already arrived at the foot of Gaotang City.

The houses and trees outside the city had been cleared away long ago, Zhang Dalong was not polite, he only accepted the young seedlings with a regretful attitude, and let the army encamp around the city, completely encircling Gaotang City.

The next day, the water of the moat was directly and easily cut off.

At this time, for Cao Shancheng, he finally got a piece of good news——Wei County and Ji County will definitely send some reinforcements. It is conceivable that under the political pressure of these two counties, Wu'an, Wuyang, Xiangguo They also have to pinch their noses to help.

There is a relatively complete line of defense in front, and there is such a strong point as Xue Wanbi's Gao Tang in the defense line, if we can gather reinforcements, although we dare not say victory, but the Delong army must be short of food, as long as we hold for a few days, the opponent will be forced to retreat , is the result of invincibility.

PS: Good night everyone.

(End of this chapter)