Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 505 Licheng begs to surrender
In March of the third year of Zhangwu.

Liu Bei sent troops to Xiangfan, first to capture Wuguan and then to surround Wancheng.

Cao Pi left Sima Yi and Sun Quan in Beijing, and led an army to conquer Liu Bei south.

In April, Ma Chao killed Cao Zhen's messenger and rebelled, and exchanged messengers with Lu Xun. The two armies had many troops and horses, and their momentum was huge and powerful in Guanlong.

Lu Xun sent out 40,000 troops and raised 50,000 people as corvees. With Wei Yan as the vanguard, he entered Guanzhong via the Tangluo Road, calling himself 100,000 soldiers, and Guanzhong was awe-inspiring.

Ma Chao ordered his younger brother Ma Dai to send troops to Chen Cang as a suspected soldier. He led the army out of Qishan and joined the Qiang and Di troops in Yin. He had 50,000 infantry and cavalry, and Longyou was shocked.

Guanlong was shocked, Jingzhou troops gathered, and the two places became a mess. At this moment, the problems left by Cao Cao almost broke out due to the war.

Since there is a concentrated outbreak of bad governance, how can the Jianghuai region be left out? When Cao Pi came to power, he wanted to integrate Xuzhou's troops. However, due to Huo Jun's long-term heavy losses, a deep-rooted interest alliance was increasingly formed within Xu Huai, which was not so easy to operate.

Licheng County, Licheng.

More than five to six hundred soldiers and civilians gathered outside the government office, some were in their prime, some were disabled, and some were healthy women. The crowd was furious and noisy, and cursed the prefect Xu Zhi in dialect.

At this time, outside the mansion, Cai Fang was a little tired from scolding. He called to the soldiers behind him and shouted: "Scold me loudly and scold Xu Zhi."

"Let Xu Zhi come out!"

"Making trouble?"

"come out!"

In order to fulfill the instructions of Emperor Cao Pi of the Wei Dynasty and for his own political achievements, Xu Zhi decided to take action against these military households and issued an order to select the young and strong and eliminate the old and weak. That is to say, we are going to classify the old and weak in the general households as civilian households and let them pay taxes.

Haiyan makes money and does not pay taxes. These county soldiers have formed an interest group. They can change the boss, but they will never allow the boss to harm their interests.

Later, due to fighting with the Southern Han Dynasty, many generals died on the battlefield. However, in order to appease the generals and let them guard the border for Cao Wei, Cao Cao allowed their descendants or generals to succeed as prefects to ensure their own interests.

The mother and son held each other's hands and cried, which made Xu Zhi feel pity in his heart. However, seeing the crowd of hundreds of people, he knew that this was a trick of the military households in Licheng.

Cai Fang sneered a few times, rubbed his neck, and said, "Mr. Xu Fu, how dare we make trouble?"

"Master Fu, please have mercy!"

With that said, Xu Zhi put the seal on his waist, combed his appearance, straightened his waist with his sword, and came out of the hall with high morale.

"Your Majesty's words of entrustment are still echoing in my heart. How can I just follow the trend now?"

The leader, Cai Fang, had a sinister face and a burly figure. He cursed: "Let Xu Zhi get out, why are you so selected as a soldier? If you don't withdraw the order, don't blame us for using force."

Seeing that Xu Zhi disagreed, Cai Fang shouted loudly: "No other county has such an order, so how come His Majesty's order comes from it? It must be an order from the emperor."

Hearing this, Xu Zhi rolled up his sleeves angrily and said: "To revoke the New Deal is to indulge the arrogance of thieves. If we want to implement it again in the future, it will be difficult. How can we bow to the revolution now?"

The ragged woman took her son and came to Xu Zhi. She cried and said: "My husband was defeated in the Jianghuai War. Now he only relies on the kindness of the country. If he enters a private household, taxes and corvee will force my mother and son to death."

Why aren't taxes coming in?

The policies promulgated by Xu Zhi directly violated the interests of the military households in Licheng County. With the tacit approval of the generals, the military households, led by Cai Fang, surrounded Xu Zhi and forced him to abolish the decree.

"Xu Zhi, your father~"

Led by Cai Fang, everyone shouted in unison, trying to force Xu Zhi to revoke the decree.

Under Cai Fang's instigation, the military households were full of people, and the shouts and curses were earth-shattering.

After thinking about this, Xu Zhi gritted his teeth and said: "Avoiding him is not a long-term solution. Let me leave the house and discuss it with the soldiers."

Listening to the noisy voices outside, the attendant looked worried and advised: "Master Fu, today the soldiers are very angry and have many complaints. It is not appropriate for Master Fu to push forward. Why not speak to everyone and revoke the new policy."

"fart!"

"come out!"

It was due to the cunning maneuvers of the Taishan generals that in order to win over their subordinates and the people, they organized most of the civilian households in the county, old, young, male and widowed, into military households.

In order to appease the Taishan generals, Cao Cao divided the three counties of Langya, Donghai and Xiapi in Xuzhou to Zang Ba, Wu Dun, Sun Guan and others as governors, allowing them to retain soldier autonomy.

Xu Zhi helped the woman up and said in a deep voice to everyone: "It is Your Majesty's policy to select young men as soldiers, and the quality must be obeyed. For those who are poor, I will report to Your Majesty and exempt them from taxes for many years."

Xu Zhi looked at everyone with a straight face and scolded: "You are surrounding the Yamen, are you trying to cause chaos?"

However, as Cao Pi came to power, the good days of Xuzhou soldiers came to an end. Because Cao Cao died of illness and the military household in Xuzhou was in turmoil, Cao Pi looked for an opportunity to remove the former prefect of Licheng and appointed Xu Zhi as the prefect.

Before the Luan soldiers finished speaking, they saw the door being opened and Xu Zhi, head held high, appeared in front of everyone, and the crowd's scoldings couldn't help but quiet down.

Because of the war, military households often did not pay taxes and did not engage in corvee service. In addition, Licheng was close to the sea, so military households produced more sea salt and sold the sea salt to the Central Plains, without being bound by Cao Wei's salt and iron official camp laws, thus making a lot of money.

"Change the order!"

As he spoke, Cai Fang pointed to the old and weak behind him, and said in a deep voice: "We have been fighting for the country for many years, and many of our family members have been killed or injured. Why is it that your Majesty chooses the young and strong and drives me out of the household army?"

When Xu Zhi took office, he was actually mentally prepared and knew that he would not be the prefect. However, he did not expect that it would be difficult for the prefect to be like this. The officials on the left and right were obedient and secretly submissive, taxes and taxes could not be raised, and policies could not be implemented.

"Change the order!"

In the mansion, Xu Zhi was pacing back and forth in the hall, listening to the movements outside the mansion, his expression was very anxious, and he was at a loss in his heart.

How could Xu Zhi give in to issues related to his prestige?
After all, if he gives in, there will be a second time. These county soldiers will continue to threaten him, and he will be coerced by them again and again.

Xu Zhi was besieged for several days now, so he had no choice but to hide in the government office and avoid being seen.

"Get out, Xu Zhi!"

Moreover, if Cao Pi finds out about his abolition of government orders, he will definitely blame him for poor governance. In the least case, he will be dismissed from office, and in the worst case, he will lose his head. If the decree is not repealed, the military might be forced to compromise. Once Binghu compromises, he can unleash his power in Licheng County.

"How dare Shuzi do this!"

Seeing that his words were seen through, Xu Zhi couldn't help but became angry. He held down his sword and angrily scolded Cai Fang: "I am the prefect of Licheng. Isn't it up to me to decide the matter of Licheng?"

Cai Fang, who had been fighting for years and licking blood from his knife, became furious when Xu Zhi scolded him. He walked up the stairs, glared at Xu Zhi and said, "How can you be a ruler when you deceive the superiors and conceal the inferiors?"

For the first time, Xu Zhi was pointed at his nose and insulted by a lowly county soldier. He was furious in his heart. He drew out his sword and scolded: "Instigating the soldiers, gathering people to cause chaos, and now humiliating the emperor, the crime will be increased. Now I want to die." Huh?”

Cai Fang drew his sword directly and flew Xu Zhi's sword into the air. With murderous intent on his face, he said angrily: "Am I afraid of you?"

The long sword clanged several times and fell to the ground!
When Xu Zhi saw that Cai Fang dared to take action, he was furious and cursed: "If you dare to swing your sword now, you are rebelling. Now lead everyone to retreat and obey the order, maybe your life will be spared!"

"Rebellion?" Cai Fang got angry and said, "Am I afraid to kill you?"

The sword moved with light, and in Xu Zhi's horrified eyes, Cai Fang's sword pierced his chest directly. A stinging feeling came over him, and then the dark blood dyed the Xuanfu red.

Xu Zhi looked down at the sword blade with disbelief on his face. He originally wanted to use words to force Cai Fang and the soldiers from the counties to retreat, but he forgot that Xu Zhi's group of soldiers and soldiers were not the officials he was communicating with, but Lao Ge who licked blood from his sword and killed people like hemp.

His body moved, and Xu Zhi fell to the ground, blood flowing from his mouth. The conflict between Cai Fang and Xu Zhi lasted only a few breaths, and it took only a moment for the sword to kill, leaving everyone around them unable to react.

Seeing Xu Zhi's death, his attendants were the first to react and went to deal with Cai Fang with swords. How could those soldiers who were friendly with Cai Fang sit idly by and draw their swords to fight with Xu Zhi's attendants?

After several rounds, the three attendants were directly killed by the rebellious county soldiers, and they fell together with Xu Zhi on the steps outside the government office.

After the conflict ended, everyone present calmed down and looked at the dead Xu Zhi with fear of chaos.

"The governor is dead, what should I do?"

"What should I do, Brother Cai!" someone asked.

Looking at the four corpses on the ground, Cai Fang's face paled. He was so reckless and angry before, he was a little at a loss.

"Go find General Tang!" Cai Fang shouted.

"Yes, go find General Tang!" everyone agreed.

The General Tang in Cai Fang's mouth was none other than the deceased Wu Dun's old general Tang Zi. Tang Zi originally thought he could be appointed as the governor of Licheng, but he didn't expect Xu Zhi to come parachute.

Cai Fang and others caused chaos and encirclement with Tang Zi's tacit approval. With Tang Zi's guidance and support, people like Cai Fang dared to act like this.

Say Cao Cao, Cao Cao is here!

Tang Zi had long known that the conflict between Cai Fang and Xu Zhi had intensified. When the two clashed, Tang Zi hurried over.

Just when everyone was about to go find Tang Zi, Tang Zi had already squeezed into the crowd with his left and right people.

"General Tang is here!"

"General Tang is here!"

Seeing Tang Zi bringing his people, everyone shouted and expressed their joy and peace of mind.

As the crowd dispersed, they saw that the person coming had broad shoulders, thick arms, a calm face, and cunning eyes.

"what happened?"

Seeing Xu Zhi and his three attendants lying in a pool of blood, Tang Zi frowned and asked immediately.

Cai Fang lowered his head in front of Tang Zi, no longer as arrogant as before, showing a nervous expression, and said: "The conflict of words caused me to accidentally kill Governor Xu out of anger."

After a pause, Cai Fang said: "However, Xu Zhi is unwilling to give in and pushes forward the decree. He also wants to accuse us of causing rebellion."

Tang Zi checked and saw that Xu Zhi was dead, and sighed slightly.

Killing the prefect and causing rebellion is almost the same as rebellion, and it is a serious crime that involves the clan members!

"What should the general do now?" Others asked in fear: "Either fleeing into the mountains or taking refuge at sea."

"What are you running from?"

Or there are fearless people holding long swords and shouting: "Just do the opposite!"

"Don't make any noise!"

Cai Fang shouted, "Let the general make the decision!"

Tang Zi glanced at the soldiers present and saw that everyone was speaking in different words. He said in a calm voice: "Xu Zhi died due to rebellion. It will be known to outsiders soon. When the army advances, it will be difficult for us to resist. If we escape into the mountains, sooner or later we will be attacked. Captured. Crossing the sea and entering the island will be a life of poverty."

"The only thing we can do now is to raise our troops and raise the city to ask Huo Du to surrender in the Jianghuai River. Huo Du is famous all over the world and has unparalleled military skills. If we can lure him to come to our aid, we can not only gain wealth and honor, but also save our lives!"

After a pause, Tang Zi said, "I wonder if you would like to take my orders?"

"I'm willing to follow!"

Cai Fang stood up, holding the bloody sword, and echoed loudly: "We have committed a capital crime by killing Xu Zhi by causing rebellion. Now we can only save our lives by following the general's rebellion."

"I would like to start from the general!"

"Please give the order, General!"

"it is good!"

Tang Zi was not humble and ordered: "Collect military rations and gather the soldiers in the county to defend against incoming enemies. Also prepare boats and boats in case of emergency."

"promise!"

The soldiers from all the counties killed Xu Zhi in chaos and elected Tang Zi to lead the rebellion. Tang Zi sent people to ask Huo Jun for help, hoping to offer Licheng County to surrender to the Han Dynasty.

Licheng was seven or eight hundred miles away from Huo Jun's station, and Huo Jun didn't wait for the news. Zang Ba, the governor of Xuzhou who was stationed in Xiapi, was the first to receive news of Tang Zi's rebellion.

Zang Ba looked worried as he read the news about Tang Zi's rebellion in the letter.

Yin Li looked unhappy and said, "I said in the past that your Majesty ordered Xu Zhi to be appointed as the prefect. If the old system is changed, there will be turmoil. The result is as expected."

Zang Ba sighed and said: "Your Majesty wants to achieve great ambitions and it is inevitable to recruit military commission officers. It's just that Xu Zhi was too aggressive and acted in a dishonorable manner, which caused turmoil. But now that the matter has come to this, we can only quell the military chaos in Licheng as soon as possible, otherwise if we let go If Tang Zi contacts Huo Jun, he will definitely lead his troops northward. "

Yin Li looked helpless and said: "Today you and I have only eight or nine thousand troops together. We are afraid that it will not be enough to send out troops to conquer the city. If we do not do it for a long time, we will leave Pipi empty, which is a danger."

Zang Ba pondered for a while and then said: "Your Majesty is in Nanyang now, so you can report him quickly; and Cao Xiu is the general of Zhennan, responsible for the military affairs of the Jianghuai River. I will lead the troops to attack the city first, and ask Lu Qian, the governor of Qingzhou, for help."

"The reason why Huo Jun is not moving troops now is not because of his lack of strategy. In fact, his troops are too few to achieve far-reaching ambitions. When Huo Jun raised troops to help the north, His Majesty already had troops and horses to help. If we can quickly attack Licheng, our army will join forces with the Qingzhou troops. Ma, with the help of Cao Zhennan's troops in the west, it is not impossible to defeat Huo Jun. "

Yin Li frowned and sighed slightly, and said: "I hope Cao Zhennan can advance quickly, otherwise Huo Jun will raise his troops and move quickly, fearing that the superior troops will not be enough to resist."

Zang Ba stroked his beard and smiled lightly, and said: "Licheng is far away from Jianghuai. If we lose it now and Huo Jun's troops retreat, it will not be difficult to recover. And if Huo Jun sends his troops northward, Jianghuai will not have enough troops, so we may be able to gain something."

"good!"

Yin Li said: "I will lead the troops to defend the city, and you will lead the troops to suppress the rebellion."

"Three Kingdoms Volume 20": Tang Zi Benli City. In Huang Chuzhong, Licheng County rebelled, killed the prefect Xu Ji, and recommended him as the leader. Emperor Wen sent troops to defeat him, and he went to the sea. He died in Wu, and was promoted to General Zuo, and was granted the title of Marquis.

(End of this chapter)