Competing

Chapter 14
"Suppression of bandits?" Wu Rui thought he had heard wrongly in the Panyi county government office.

Along the river, among the mountains, forests and lakes, there are indeed many bandits gathered.Since the beginning when he took over Panyi, he also had campaigns to suppress bandits, but later he found out that most of them were poor families with hard life and no way of life.Therefore, as long as it does not seriously affect local law and order, it has always been open and closed.

It can be said that this is the case in all counties and counties, and the imperial court doesn't care much about it.But this is just the beginning of spring, why did the court suddenly order Jiangdong to suppress the bandits?
"Yes, my lord, An Tong, the left school captain stationed in Lujiang, has led [-] soldiers to the northeast of Pengli. The imperial court ordered us to do a good job of supplying food and grass." County captain Chen Kui reported truthfully.

Wu Rui was puzzled and understood: "Oh? Has the army been mobilized?"

"Yes, my lord. According to Xianyang's news, it was Zhao Xiang's intention, so Lieutenant An did not dare to neglect. Zhao Xiang also said that as long as he fully assists in suppressing the bandits, he will not ask us for the crime of poor governance."

"Zhao Xiang? When did my Great Qin have another Zhao Xiangguo?" Wu Rui was a little surprised.

Chen Kui smiled sheepishly: "My lord, the official document that came with Xianyang, the former prime minister Li Si deceived the emperor and conspired against him, and was killed in Xianyang. His Majesty's decree, CRRC Mansion ordered Zhao Gao to succeed him as prime minister."

"What? Li Xiang was cut in half?" A sentence was like a thunderbolt from the blue sky, Wu Rui was stunned, and after a long time said: "Zhao Gao succeeds? How can eunuchs be relatives? Isn't this a big joke in the world?"

Chen Kui's heart tightened, and after hesitating for a moment, he said: "Your Excellency, be careful! This is His Majesty's will, and we, as subjects, can only follow the order."

No wonder, no wonder, once the emperor and courtiers, Li Si is gone, this policy may have changed.Wu Rui's mind was agitated for a while, but when he heard Chen Kui's blunt words, he immediately regained his composure.Said: "I have lost my temper, and I will leave it to you to provide food and grass for the army!"

"No!" Chen Kui quietly withdrew, with a treacherous smile hanging on the corner of his mouth, he didn't know what he was thinking.

After Chen Kui left, a young man walked out from the back hall. It was Wu Rui's eldest son, Wu Chen. "Father, Qin Ting is really going too far. Li Si promised back then that he would let his father be the Lord of Fan, govern Fanyi, suppress Baiyue, and not have to pay taxes and corvees to Xianyang. Everything is up to his father."

Wu Chen was very angry, and continued: "But now? First the county captain was sent, and then the people were taxed. Fanyi was originally rich in goods and people, living and working in peace and contentment, but now the people are living in poverty. .Now we have to mobilize troops to run rampant in Pengze. It is true to suppress the bandits. The people of our Fanyi will inevitably suffer, and we are required to provide food and salaries. What is going on?"

Wu Rui sighed softly, and said, "Why don't you know about being a father? Now that Prime Minister Li is gone..."

"That's right! In the past, there was seventy points of the majesty of the First Emperor and three points of Li Si's sympathy, but what else is there now?"

Facing his son's rhetorical question, Wu Rui said softly: "Son, you are still young, remember to learn the word forbearance in everything! Stop talking about this, and go back to study!" After speaking, he walked away and went out up.

Wu Chen looked at his father's sad back, his eyes flickered, and he was silent.

……

Water and sky meet, misty waves are vast, and Penglize Lake is rippling and magnificent.

On a small hill by the lake, military tents are connected together.

A man stood on the top of the hill, looking into the distance.A suit of shining golden armor matched his tall stature just right.In his thirties, with thick stubble and a sharp-edged face, he showed the ruggedness and unrestrainedness unique to Northwestern men.

He is An Tong, the Zuo Xiaowei who is stationed in Lujiang, an authentic Guanzhong native. It is said that his ancestors are related to the Qin royal family, so Meng Zuyin left the town of Lujiang.A few days ago, he suddenly received an edict from Xianyang, asking him to exterminate the bandits in Pengze after the beginning of spring, and An Tong immediately led the army out without saying a word.

"The last general, Xin Gang, sees the Colonel." Xin Gang, 25 years old, was born in the Northwest Frontier Army of Shang County, and was transferred to Lujiang not long ago.Because of his outstanding martial arts skills, An Tong took the post of head of the personal army because of his outstanding martial arts skills.

"En!" An Tong didn't turn around, and said lightly: "Have you found out what Mr. Yan told you?"

Xin Gang respectfully replied: "Fortunately, I did not disgrace my life! It has been verified that there are about a hundred bandits in the gang that Mr. Yan confessed to, and the leader is Yin Xu, who is less than 20 years old."

"Oh?" An Tong was a little surprised and said, "Is he a brat?"

"Yes, but this person seems to have some tricks. He is extremely strict and has a good reputation in this area."

"The person who can make Mr. Yan and even Xiang Zhao never forget, it seems that he has some skills." An Tong sneered: "However, if he has three heads and six arms, and hundreds of mobs in the area, how can he be an elite opponent of the five thousand imperial court?"

Xin Gang smiled and echoed, "That's right, not to mention that your lord is personally involved."

An Tong was very useful, and said with a smile: "Send scouts to investigate, find out where the bandits are haunted, and send troops to wipe them out as soon as possible."

"promise!"

……

Hundreds of miles away, an elegant and handsome girl in purple clothes is sitting alone on the attic, and the lake and mountains in the distance are sparkling.

Different people, different moods, and different lakes.The scenery in front of the girl is boundless, and the legend is touching Zhenze, not Peng Lize.

Zhenze, that is, Taihu Lake, also known as Wuhu, is located in the area of ​​Kuaiji and Gusu in the lower reaches of the Dajiang River.According to legend, Fan Li once took Xishi to go boating on the five lakes.

"Fan Qing met Miss." A warrior pretending to be a warrior stopped behind the girl and saluted respectfully.

"Well, what's the matter?"

"There is news from the master."

The girl in purple immediately turned around, and asked with concern: "How is the situation with Daddy? Is everything okay?"

Fan Qing replied: "Don't worry, miss. With the help of General Li You, the master escaped in Weidi and arrived in Dingtao safely. The eldest son temporarily gave up his business with Donghu and went to meet the master. Miss don't have to worry. Master Send someone to say that you will come back to reunite with Madam and Miss in a few days."

"That's good!" The girl smiled lightly, then asked again: "Is there any news from Shangjun and Xianyang?"

"Uh..." Fan Qing hesitated slightly, and said in a deep voice: "All the family members of General Meng were killed, and Prime Minister Li was cut in half in Xianyang."

"What?" The girl's tender body shook, and after a long silence, she asked, "How did General Li You react?"

"General Li You didn't take any action because Mr. Ziying is in Xianyang."

The girl's heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "Ziying is in Xianyang? Didn't they escape?"

Fan Qing sighed: "General Li's subordinates and Mr. Deng Ling only rescued Miss Ziye, and Mr. Ziying was arrested in Xianyang. The rest of the children went with Mr. Su."

"General Li You is also helpless!"

"Forgive me for speaking bluntly!" Fan Qing said: "General Li You has a big disagreement with Li Xiang on the matter of supporting Mr. Su, will it be..."

The girl shook her head and said: "No, Li You is not that kind of person, because he is loyal to Da Qin." After a moment's pause, she sighed: "Now I only hope that Ziying and his siblings can be safe!"

Fan Qing said: "Don't worry too much about this. Zhao Gaoyue just executed ten princes and princesses in Duyou, and there were constant accusations. Anyway, Mr. Ziying is the eldest grandson of the first emperor. Zhao Gao should not dare, let alone use it as a coercion General Li You. As for Miss Ziye, she is safe and secure in Sanchuan County."

The girl in purple sighed leisurely: "I hope so!"

Immediately, he remembered something again and asked, "By the way, have you found out the identity of that young master?"

Fan Qing replied: "I have found it. The young man who came to rescue him is named Yin Xu, his name is Donglai, and he is from Fanyi County. It seems that he killed the officers and soldiers on the construction site of the Chi Road, and fled to gather a crowd as a bandit." , Kuaiji said so vaguely, and the specifics are not very clear. They mainly "rob the rich and give to the poor", punish local ruffians, bullies and officials, and have a good reputation in the local area."

The girl nodded lightly, seemingly satisfied, or in line with her guess.

"But they seem to be in trouble..."

"Oh?" The girl frowned again without realizing it, and asked, "Why?"

Fan Qing recalled: "The subordinates came back and said that there was an imperial army of thousands of people going to Fanyi area. After inquiring, they learned that they were going to suppress bandits. The subordinates suspected that it might be related to Mr. Yin."

The girl frowned, showing a bit of solemnity, and after a long time she said leisurely: "It is very possible that Jiangdong bandits are rampant, but the imperial court just opened their eyes and closed their eyes. Why did they suddenly send troops to suppress the bandits at this time? Could it be because of our business?" , angered Zhao Gao, because he got Mr. Yin and the others involved?"

"We suddenly evacuated and asked him to fetch water from a bamboo basket. He must have become angry from embarrassment. Now that he is in power, he dare not touch our Fan family openly, and it is very possible to turn his anger on Mr. Yin who has done bad things."

Fan Qing also frowned, and said, "That's right, what Miss said is absolutely true."

The girl walked back and pacing. After a little thought, she said calmly: "Pay close attention to Peng Ze's situation, and if possible, give some help as much as possible. After all, we are implicated. If necessary, you can ask the magistrate of Panyi in the name of your father. Wu Rui asked for help, his younger brother Wu Ju is a disciple of Mr. Xu Fu, and he has a good relationship with my father."

Fan Qing said firmly: "Miss, don't worry, my subordinates will make proper arrangements."

Looking at Fan Qing's leaving back, the girl whispered to herself, "I can only do so much for you, the rest is up to you..."

(End of this chapter)