Han family achievements

Chapter 457 People’s hearts are swaying
This sudden heavy rain seemed to cover all the states in the Han Dynasty.

Lu County, inside a Buddhist temple.

Zuo Rong, who has a generous face and a rosy complexion, is wearing monk's robes and disheveled hair, kneeling in front of the Buddha statue, worshiping the Buddha seriously.

Outside the small Buddhist hall, Qiao Mao ate his vegetarian meal and kept shaking his head.

He glanced at the extremely pious Zhe Rong inside, with a disdainful sneer in his eyes, and turned to look out the door.

The rain is getting lighter, but rainwater is spreading and flowing everywhere. In some low-lying areas, an unknown amount has accumulated, and the depth cannot be seen with the naked eye.

"Brother Qiao, how about my lunch?" I don't know when, Zuo Rong came out, with a generous and compassionate look on his face, and sat down opposite Qiao Mao with a smile.

Qiao Mao put down his chopsticks, shook his head, and said, "It's boring. I think the former Magistrate Zuo was so famous that he jumped on his horse and whipped his whip. Now he can afford such a simple meal?"

Instead of being angry, Zhe Rong clasped his hands together and sang "Amitabha".

Immediately, he looked at Qiao Mao and said: "I have too many karma in my life, but I restrain myself to atone for my sins."

Qiao Mao didn't believe a word of it, and he didn't want to go around the bush with Zuo Rong. If he kept going around with this person, he wouldn't be able to come back even after dark.

Qiao Mao sat up a little straighter, his expression gradually became solemn, and he said: "Southern County suffered heavy rain, and the flood broke the river embankments and submerged three counties. I heard that Ambassador Liu has sent a letter asking for help?"

Zuo Rong sighed softly, showing more compassion, and said: "Amitabha, I feel the same for the people suffering from the disaster, I hope the Buddha will bless you."

Qiao Mao looked a little indifferent and said: "Brother Zuo, your Buddha can protect the people of Jingzhou, but can he protect you?"

Zuo Rong's face did not change and he said: "The bridge donor is wrong. The Buddha is compassionate and saves all living beings. I am one of the few. How could the Buddha abandon me and ignore me?"

Qiao Mao sneered and said, "The imperial court is just too busy to take care of itself. If they had time, would they have entrusted the three counties' grain transport to Brother Zao, not to mention what Brother Zao has done here? Once someone takes over, how can Brother Zao's actions be covered up? Can Brother Zao still be your Buddha with the five thousand men in his hands?"

Zuo Rong's pain point was touched, and the compassion on his face disappeared, replaced by a ferocious expression, and his eyes stared at Qiao Mao with a sinister look.

Seeing this familiar expression, Qiao Mao smiled instead and said, "Brother Zuo, in a time of great conflict, you must prepare for a rainy day and make plans early."

Zuo Rong took off his monk's robes, tied up his hair, and then said in a deep voice: "Qiao Mao, I know there are many people in Pengcheng, and I can accommodate you. But why did you come to me? ?”

"This is the Zuo Rong I know,"

Qiao Mao smiled brightly, and immediately his eyes straightened, and he said: "Brother Zuo, if you take over the world, why do you need to wield a golden sword!?"

Zuo Rong's expression changed suddenly, and he immediately sneered and said, "Didn't Brother Qiao already try it many years ago? At that time, the imperial court was about to collapse due to internal and external troubles. Brother Qiao raised the banner, but what about now? The ears of a bereaved dog!"

Qiao Mao didn't care at all about Zuo Rong's sarcasm, and instead said: "It was true that I acted too hastily at that time, but times have changed, and today's court seems to be strong and united, but it is strong on the outside and weak on the inside. If there is only one setback, the world will collapse and the Han Dynasty will end!"

In fact, Zuo Rong had long known that Qiao Mao was determined to be a traitor, but he still sneered and said, "Brother Qiao, do you want me to lead thousands of people in Pengcheng to rebel?"

"Not Pengcheng,"

Qiao Mao's expression changed and he said: "There are many people who want to do something great. When someone climbs up, Brother Zuo raises the flag to respond. The world will follow and the great thing will be accomplished!"

Zuo Rong's face was full of disdain, his eyes were cold, and he said: "Eunuch, He Jin, Yuan Shi, Yuan Yi, you, Yuan Shu, Dong Zhuo... There are so many lessons learned from the past, Brother Qiao, you still have a head missing from your car. "

Qiao Mao didn't look annoyed at all, and said: "In the south there are scholars Xie, Yuan Shao, and Liu Biao, with two hundred thousand armor, and in the west Liu Zhang separatizes a state, with one hundred thousand out of Hanzhong. In the north there are Xianbei, Wuhuan, Xiongnu, and five cavalrymen. Ten thousand. Now the imperial treasury is empty, and it cannot even provide food and grass for soldiers and horses. All it takes is a fire, and the world will be in chaos. The heroes will rise together, give them gold swords, and put them in a high cabinet!"

Qiao Mao knew that he could not convince Zuo Rong, so he continued: "Cao Cao is in charge of the world's soldiers and horses, and now he has slaughtered three cities. He must be abandoned by Liu Bian! Once Cao Cao dies, who will be in charge of the army? And Yuzhou is a place of great chaos. This time After the heavy rain, there will be good opportunities!”

This sentence made Zuo Rong's expression change slightly, but he still said in a cold voice: "I am the governor of a county, and I am eating the emperor's salary. How can I be rebellious? Brother Qiao, because of our past friendship, I will not use you to ask for credit from the court. This is the limit, don’t say more, please!”

Zuo Rong sternly refused, but in Qiao Mao's eyes, he had clearly agreed.

After he stood up, he raised his hand in greeting and said with a loud smile: "Brother Zuo, farewell!"

Zuo Rong snorted coldly and didn't even look at it. Instead, he put on his monk's clothes and untied his hair.

At this time, Pengcheng County Lieutenant Liu Hao came in and said in a low voice respectfully: "Master Fu, these Qiao Mao's words are probably untrue. They are just to encourage Master Fu to rebel and vent his anger to Luoyang."

Zuo Rong stood up and stood at the door of the Buddhist hall, with a look of compassion on his face, but his tone was as cold as ice, saying: "No matter what his plans are, we will just sit back and watch the changes."

Liu Hao's face showed joy and he said: "Your Majesty is wise, I will resign."

"Wait." Zuo Rong, who had his back to him, said, "Qiao Mao just said that there was heavy rain in Nanjun, and Liu Biao of Jingzhou sent people to ask for help?"

Liu Hao was stunned for a moment and said: "Yes. Not only Jingzhou, Xuzhou, Yanzhou, and Yuzhou have sent people to ask for money and food, but they have all been sent away by the lower officials."

Zuo Rong was silent for a while, looked at the Buddha statue quietly, and said: "Send three thousand young men and ten thousand stones of grain to Yuzhou."

Liu Hao looked puzzled and said: "Master Fu, Yuzhou has no interference with us. Then Liu Yao and Master Fu are still a bit dirty, why should we help him?"

"Go ahead and do it." Zhe Rong didn't explain, clasped his hands together and walked into the Buddhist hall piously.

Liu Hao immediately did not dare to ask any more questions, bowed and backed away.

But not long after, he trotted back and looked at Zuo Rong, who was kneeling in front of the Buddha statue, concentrating on worshiping the Buddha. He hesitated to speak, his face full of anxiety.

Zuo Rong lowered his head and muttered to himself. He didn't know how long it took before he said, "What's the matter?"

Liu Hao quickly held up a letter and said: "It's Zhang Liao. Zhang Liao sent a letter to mobilize all the city defense troops in Pengcheng. He also asked the prince to transport all the water transportation proceeds of the past year to Xiapi for water control. "

Zuo Rong's eyes flashed coldly, and he immediately bowed to the Buddha statue, recited 'Amitabha', and then remained silent for a while before saying, "Only half."

Liu Hao said: "Give half of everything?"

Zuo Rong said: "Yes, in addition, delay for a few more days and write a letter to Zhang Liao to explain Pengcheng's plight."

"Yes." Liu Hao felt relieved and left.

"Raise taxes."

Before Liu Hao had walked a few steps, Zuo Rong's voice came again.

Liu Hao immediately knew that he was trying to make amends, and immediately said: "I understand."

Zuo Rong said nothing and concentrated on worshiping the Buddha.

At this moment, Qiao Mao had already mounted his horse and was ready to leave Lu County.

He looked back at the Holy Buddha Temple, which seemed to be shining with the vast Buddha light. He was angry and disdainful in his heart, and said to himself: "At that time, I can still control you, idiot!" Qiao Mao rode his horse and walked slowly, feeling in his heart He has various thoughts about Lu County.

The resources in Lu County are really rich. If we can capture this place, we will have enough money and food for a hundred thousand troops for several years!

'It's best to obey, otherwise I'll take your flag as a sacrifice! Qiao Mao felt furious.

Not long after, Qiao Mao left the city. The servant beside him looked at the road ahead and said, "Master, are we going to Jingzhou or Yangzhou now?"

As Qiao Mao walked along, the question before his eyes was whether to meet Liu Biao or Yuan Shao first?

Qiao Mao pondered for a moment and said, "Let's go to Wu County first."

The servant was startled and said: "Master, Sun Ce, the Marquis of Wucheng in Wu County, is very loyal to the court. It is said that he took the initiative to write a letter and was willing to be the dog emperor's retinue. He is no longer in Wu County."

Qiao Mao looked in the direction of Wu Commandery and said, "It's nothing more than an act of hypocrisy. Then Sun Jian is not a loyal person, how can his son be a loyal minister and good general? Let's go to Wu Commandery first."

The servant said nothing and followed Qiao Mao to the southeast.

At this time, Liu Yao was still busy regulating the river. Although the rain became lighter, the water level was still increasing, impacting the river dam, and it might break at any time.

Fan Neng came down from the front, with an angry look on his face. He raised a big piece of wood and said to Liu Yao through gritted teeth: "Your Majesty, this is a shoddy thing. Look at this piece of wood. It's empty inside. It's fake!"

Liu Yao was startled. He quickly approached and stretched out his hand to break it. The seemingly thick and strong wood fell apart instantly, and the pieces fell to the ground!
"Who did this!?"

Liu Yao was shocked and angry, and turned to look at the dam.

If there are all these things down there, then the dike bursting is almost inevitable!

When Fan Neng saw it, he hurriedly said: "Don't worry, I will report it as soon as I find it. I haven't buried it yet."

Liu Yao looked tense and said: "Quick, quick, find all the fake ones, and never put them into the river embankment."

Yu Mi came over at this time and said: "Don't worry, I am ordering people to look for it. However, I am worried about other places."

Liu Yao suddenly woke up and said: "Yes, yes, hurry up, inform Tian Feng, Liu Bei and others, they must strictly check, and this kind of thing must not be allowed to be used to build dams!"

"Fu Jun,"

Before he finished speaking, Tian Feng came over quickly.

He was covered in mud, and the mud on his face had dried, even on his brows. Only his eyes were still red and bloodshot.

Tian Feng held his sword, strode over, and said in a deep voice: "Didn't we say strict inspection and strict acceptance? Why is there such a thing? If we are not careful and we fall short of our achievements, how can we explain to the folks in Yuzhou? ?”

Liu Yao clearly felt that Tian Feng was anxious, and his tone was murderous, and he immediately shouted: "Fan Neng, tell me!"

Fan Neng was someone who had followed Liu Yao for many years. He didn't understand what he meant, so he said anxiously: "Your Majesty, Mr. Tianfu, it's not because of the negligence of the lower officials and others. All the things that should be checked and investigated have been done. The lower officials, I don’t know what went wrong!”

Tian Feng did have murderous intentions, and he knew that the court's interrogators would soon arrive. If he was captured, what would happen to the river embankment? Those people just do whatever they want and do whatever they want!

"Check it for me!"

Tian Feng shouted angrily. At this time, he was more powerful than Liu Yao. He said directly: "No matter who it is, kill him if you find him!"

Liu Yao was startled and immediately stopped him, saying: "No!"

Immediately he realized something was wrong, and quickly stepped forward, pulled Tian Feng aside, and whispered: "Yuan Hao, it is not appropriate to move lightly at this time. Maybe this is a conspiracy of some people. At this time, please do not cause chaos. Everything must be stable!”

Tian Feng didn't know that rumors were flying everywhere, and there were many people causing trouble. His face was filled with hatred, and he said, "What good plan do you have?"

Liu Yao raised his head, glanced at the rain that was gradually stopping, and said: "Yuan Hao, now that the rain has stopped, it's a good opportunity. Let's block the gap first, and then dredge the downstream to let the water level drop and ensure that the flood is under control. Right now ”

Seeing that Liu Yao didn't say anything useful, Tian Feng suppressed his anger and said, "Okay, I'll obey you."

In fact, Tian Feng had other ideas.

He wants to capture all the hidden Xiaoxiao, or even kill them all, before they are captured by the court!

Only in this way can their work of building the river be guaranteed. If they continue, the people in several counties in Yuzhou will not be swallowed up by floods.

Seeing that Tian Feng was obedient, Liu Yao felt a little relieved. He looked back and said, "I got news not long ago that the imperial court sent an envoy."

Tian Feng was not surprised. He had killed so many people in Xiangxian County, and it was strange that the court was indifferent. He looked calm and asked: "Who is it?"

"Cao Song." Liu Yao said only these two words and nothing else.

Tian Feng was startled and said, "Cao Song?"

Of course he knew this man, not to mention that he was the father of the famous Cao Cao. Cao Song himself was also a capable man. He had a prosperous official career and was one of the three princes during the Zhongping period. Who in the world doesn't know this?

What's more, Cao Song's adoptive father was Cao Teng, the Great Changqiu who lived through the three dynasties!
"Cao Song, the father of Cao Cao?" Tian Feng looked strange.

Tian Feng naturally knew what happened in Yanzhou. Cao Cao massacred three cities in Yanzhou, and the government and the public were in a rage, wishing to cut him into pieces. But at this time, the court ordered his father to come to Yuzhou as an imperial envoy. What was the meaning of this?
Liu Yao saw Tian Feng deep in thought and said, "Yuan Hao, we don't need to think too much about the rest. This Cao Song originally lived in Qiao County and kept silent. After he entered Pei County from Qiao County, he suddenly disappeared and no one knew about him. Where did he go? I'm worried that he is already in Xiang County and is conducting a secret investigation. "

Tian Feng twisted his eyes into the Chinese character "Chuan" and said, "What do you mean by the envoy?"

Liu Yao looked up at the sky again and said hesitantly: "It is said that the rain will stop for a few days. We have time to return to Xiangxian County. Maybe there is still room for change."

Tian Feng didn't understand what Liu Yao meant, so he immediately said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, Mr. Fu, it was Tian Feng who captured and killed the man. I will never implicate you! Your Majesty, please continue to manage the river for the time being and go down to the official post." Xiang County takes the blame!”

"No, no!"

Liu Yao said quickly: "How can this matter be Yuan Hao's fault alone? Let's go back together and explain how powerful it is. I believe that the imperial court and His Majesty will make their own decisions."

The imperial envoys were all killed, and the magistrates of Xiang County were also confiscated and exterminated. How could the imperial court and your majesty judge this kind of thing arbitrarily?

Tian Feng knew it well and said: "Let you feel at ease. I know what to do!"

Since Tian Feng made his decision, he has also been willing to die. At this moment, he just wants to remove Liu Yao so that he can continue to control the river.

In any case, Liu Yao is not considered corrupt and incompetent, but he still has the heart to serve the people and the country.

Just when Liu Yao was about to continue speaking, Fan Neng suddenly ran over and said urgently: "The envoy is in trouble, the imperial envoy fell into the hands of gangsters!"

(End of this chapter)