Zhurou

Chapter 205
When Lu Xianzhang saw the other party running straight towards the palace gate, he couldn't help but take a second look and realized that he looked familiar. However, he didn't expect that the other party was still on the horse. He opened his mouth and shouted: "Participate in politics. Chen Liumen in the northeast is here to deliver a message urgently. Di Bing They suddenly attacked the city, and there were not enough troops and supplies there. At this moment, they urgently asked the government for support, especially 120 divine arm bows individually. The cumulative number was too large, and the officials did not dare to make the decision, so they came here to report and participate in politics! "

As the man spoke, he rolled off his horse.

In the past few days, I had heard too many similar reports. Lu Xianzhang was always anxious at first, but now he has no more lice. He saw that there were not many people walking in the streets, and he recognized that the person opposite was the Kyoto Prefectural Government Office. The official first lectured his subordinates: "As an official of the imperial court, how can you act in such a panic and behave like this?"

After finishing speaking, he frowned again and said: "The Divine Arm Bow has a certain number and is susceptible to wear and tear. The major city gates have already distributed it that day. Di soldiers have already attacked the city in other places and are asking for the Divine Arm Bow. How can we do it all at once?" Give it if you want it? After all, you need to measure the situation in a few places before you can look at it."

He asked: "Are only the people from Chenliumen coming back? How can the people in the government office who stayed there respond?"

The messenger listened to every move and made a formal crown and dress in his hands, but he did not dare to stop for a moment and continued: "The people who were left behind at Chenliumen from the government office came back together. They said that Di Bing used hundreds of Yutai's catapult was throwing big stones at this time, and the city gate was temporarily difficult to reach. Di soldiers used the goose cart to advance again. Our defenders blocked it twice. They used many arrows, and a large part of the city wall collapsed. There are also several areas that have become loose. We can't go up to the city now, and I'm afraid we won't have time to make repairs, because there are goose carts blocking the way, and Di soldiers are filling in the moat again..."

When Lu Xianzhang heard that Di Bing had used the catapult, his face had changed a little, and when he learned that the city wall had collapsed and Di Bing was filling the moat, he could no longer maintain his composure, and said in a broken voice, "Can't go to the city now? What does this mean? What do you mean you can't go to the city at this moment??"

The reporting officer said: "The catapult attack is too fierce. Once it appears, if you don't pay attention, you will..."

Lu Xianzhang cursed: "There are only a hundred catapults, but they can't resist at all? How could Ding Min guard Chen Liumen? It's my fault..."

When he said this, he finally realized that his attitude was not appropriate. He sat upright on the horse again, lowered his voice, and asked: "How many soldiers are there? How many guards are there? Apart from the divine arm bow, is there no other defense?" method?"

"This..." The visitor hesitated, "It was too dark to see clearly who was coming. I can only estimate that there are about three to four thousand soldiers and horses..."

Lu Xianzhang couldn't help but darken his face, and cursed again: "Chen Liu is a small door, and there is no mountain barrier in front of it. How can you not see the number of people coming? If you can't see clearly, how can you dare to ask for the 120 Divine Arm Bow?"

He suppressed the anger in his heart, and said: "Hurry up and call out the available craftsmen, and go to Chenliumen to repair the city wall before nightfall, and tell Ding Min to try to defend the city. As for the bow of the god's arm-at this time, Di Bing is only making a small attack. If the wall is broken, it can be repaired, but you can’t give the god’s arm a bow as soon as it’s called.”

After a few explanations, he looked at the sky and squinted at the road for a while before he was about to hit the horse and asked casually: "Where did you come from? Did you hear anything about His Highness along the way?"

"Your Highness?" The other party was stunned for a moment, "Isn't Your Highness outside the palace gate? I heard along the way that many people came to apply for the job because His Highness was here in person. Didn't you see him just passing by?"

Seeing his surprised look, Lu Xianzhang suddenly woke up. Thinking back to Chacai, he quickly grabbed the reins and started galloping in the direction he came from.

After arriving at the long queue, he saw that it was not too close to the front and saw that everyone here was enthusiastic and generous. He hesitated for a moment. He really didn't want to disturb the atmosphere of the crowd, so he simply threw away the reins, turned over and dismounted. Ignoring the few followers who had not yet followed, he moved forward through the crowd.

Sure enough, after crossing the streets and alleys, turning several forks, when the Xuande Gate was ahead, the crowd was already standing shoulder to shoulder.

The city is surrounded by enemies, so the people in the city should be nervous, but there are also the most patrols and women in palace costumes here. Under the maintenance of everyone, they are still orderly, there is no pushing, no disputes, just talking to each other whisper.

Lu Xianzhang looked carefully along the way, only to realize that there are only people coming in here, and no people going out. It is a one-way street. Everyone lined up at the front, and one team was divided into two teams, with men on the left and women on the left. Another road went around.

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In this way, one side goes in and the other side goes out, there is no interference between the two phases, and a gap is left in each side. Although it is simple, it is very effective.

Lu Xianzhang was dressed in a noble and purple official robe, as if he was holding a pass order, others saw him dodging naturally, after the patrol confirmed his identity, they even made a way for him, even so, it took a long time before he finally reached the front of the queue .Under the light and darkness of torches and candles, I saw two long tables side by side, with at least a dozen people guarding them, registering, asking questions, or copying.

Everyone was performing their duties and wearing different clothes, and they were all busy in a group, but when he glanced at it, he saw a person among the crowd, sitting behind a wooden table. Perhaps because of the dim candlelight, his features were more picturesque. She was so soft and beautiful that he had no time to look at the other people around him - the current princess.

Although I have seen him often in recent days, when I suddenly looked up and saw such a face, Lu Xianzhang still breathed hard.

He was about to step forward, but in the bustling crowd, he stood still for a moment. After a while, he stepped forward again. Only then did he realize that although the other party's body was plain, he was also wearing a lot of make-up. At this time, he lowered his head seriously. The writing, combined with the dim candlelight on the table, softened the nobility much, attracting the applicants who came forward to take a peek.

The wooden table seemed to have been moved nearby. The surface was rough and not even painted. It was filled with newly copied directories. Zhao Mingzhi was holding a book and writing very quickly. He occasionally raised his head and said that the application was completed as he passed by in front of her. The people looked at each other, smiled and nodded.

When we were walking along, there were voices of talking and coughing in the queue, and there was a lot of buzzing and noise. However, when we came to these two benches, especially near the princess, it was like there was a mask covering the air. Listening, absorbing all the noise, the newcomers lowered their voices unconsciously.For a while, I could only hear the officers' questions and the candidates' answers, without any unnecessary noise.

Lu Xianzhang stood for a few seconds, and was about to find a space to salute and reply to Zhao Mingzhi. He didn't want to register alone, so he was walking aside to leave. He had already passed where Zhao Mingzhi was, but when he slowed down, he turned around again and knelt down on the spot. , took two steps forward on his knees and shouted: "My lord, your lord! I have something to ask of you!"

Seeing that something happened suddenly here, the guards on the side were about to step forward, but Zhao Mingzhi stretched out his hand to stop him, and instead of asking questions, he just took it.

The person was thin, with yellow hair. She looked to be no more than ten years old. She was a woman. Zhao Mingzhi looked at her at this moment and finally plucked up the courage to say: "I heard someone say this before. If you reported this name, what should I do when guarding the city?" After you have done your work and dedicated your efforts, in the future when the person is gone, the court will build monuments and make offerings, and also invite monks and masters to build dojos. I don’t know if this is true or not?”

Zhao Mingzhi put down his pen and said, "It should be so."

She pointed to the thick stack of paper pages on the table and said: "Not only today, but also tomorrow, the names of the past will be transcribed again and sent to Daxiangguo Temple and Yanqing Temple. If the capital cannot be defended, I have already made an explanation. The great monks Zhi'an and Daoming have built a dojo for us, and there are also copies for storage, which will be sent to Caizhou in the future. Please ask the emperor to order a monument to be engraved, one for salvation, and the other for worship. One day of sacrifice..."

Having said this, Zhao Mingzhi leaned forward and extended his hand to the girl who was trying hard to listen to him, but was obviously nervous and confused to get up.

Upon seeing this, several palace people on the side stepped forward to help him.

The woman came back to her senses immediately, struggled twice to free herself from the other person's hand, still knelt down, and kowtowed three more times before getting up, and said hurriedly: "Noble, noble, if I contribute two efforts and do two things, Can you leave one more name besides yourself?"

Zhao Mingzhi was stunned and asked: "Whose name do you want to leave?"

The other party looked even more anxious. He took out something from his right pocket and held it high in the palm of his hand. It was a small piece of paper.

Zhao Mingzhi stood up and went around the table without anyone passing it to him. He walked up to the other person and took the piece of paper, borrowing candlelight to read it.

The piece of paper was torn from somewhere and was no bigger than a child's hand. The ink on it was of different shades and contained a person's surname, nickname, origin, place of origin, and birth date. A rough calculation showed that he was 33 years old this year.

"This is my mother's name. The thieves came from the north... I have no future and no money. I can't erect a monument and grave for her. If..."

Zhao Mingzhi's voice became hoarse and he was speechless for a moment.While the woman was talking, she looked at Zhao Mingzhi's face. She didn't know if she didn't get an answer all of a sudden, and her tone became anxious. She whispered, "If that doesn't work, just keep my mother's name. Is it possible?" "

Zhao Mingzhi shook his head and said: "You just need to distribute your efforts according to the yamen. As for your mother's matter..."

She paused and said: "If you want, why not start with me and ask someone to set up another stele and enshrine it separately, and come forward in your name—but I don't know what you think?"

"Even if we can't fully guard the city and don't cause trouble in Caizhou, we can't take care of both. I always have other ways not to break my promise - the vassal land is far away, and I have some money left at home. I can't do it just for your mother. Make a dojo for others, build temples and temples, and make it a feast for everyone..."

The girl could no longer speak and could only kneel and kowtow.

This place was originally quiet, with countless people lining up behind listening to the voices and looking at the actions here, and no one spoke anymore, even the applicants on the side who were still filling in their names and ages were looking at each one.

Zhao Mingzhi squatted down, put his hand on the girl's forearm, and lifted her up hard.

The other party was unwilling to get up before, but now he is busy standing up on his hands and feet.

Zhao Mingzhi turned around and picked up his pen, looking for another piece of white paper. He copied the contents on the piece of paper one by one, and then checked it word for word with the girl. After confirming that it was correct, he put it aside and went with the person on the right who was responsible for recruiting civil servants. The official gave the instructions carefully, then looked at the endless queue behind him and said: "What happened today can be regarded as a routine. From now on, if anyone has this request, please follow the routine."

After finishing speaking, Fucai returned the piece of shredded paper with both hands.

The girl across from me carefully held it in her hand. She wanted to speak, but was speechless, and was about to kneel down and kowtow.

Zhao Mingzhi sensed something, and just turned around at this moment, so he stretched out his hand to support him.

"You are so kind to me..." The girl murmured with dry and cracked lips for a long time, but only uttered a few words, "I will give it to you on behalf of my mother..."

Zhao Mingzhi shook his head and said: "At such a critical time of life and death, you and the other righteous men volunteered to go out and add strength to defend the city. This is a great kindness to me, a great kindness to the emperor, a great kindness to the men, women, and children in the city, and a great kindness to the country and the court. You must be respectful." , teach me to salute you."

The woman wanted to retort, but she didn't know how to speak or speak well, so she had no choice but to look back with helpless eyes.

One person in the queue at the back reacted the fastest and shouted: "No matter what kind of kindness you say at this time, the whole city is like a grasshopper on a rope. Your Highness leads the soldiers to defend the city to protect our lives. There is no need to talk about the two families!!!”

This statement makes sense and is commonplace at any time, but it still attracts constant applause.

The woman was neither willing to leave nor dared to stay any longer, so she had no choice but to thank Zhao Mingzhi for her blessing. She took a few steps forward and finally knelt down and kowtowed nine times before Fucai hurriedly grabbed the wooden sign that Chacai had received. Ran.

But here, at this time, the atmosphere was even more heated, the blood in everyone's chests was surging, and when they were waiting to be queued up, they all responded louder than before.

Lu Xianzhang stood aside and saw the scene clearly from beginning to end. Although he was anxious, he had to wait for the girl to go away before he could step forward.

Zhao Mingzhi lowered his head and was still writing ink when he suddenly heard someone calling softly next to him. When he turned around, he saw a palace servant pointing at a person standing not far away. It was Lu Xianzhang who looked like there were thorns under his feet.

She knew that if the other party was not in a hurry, he would not come here suddenly, so she briefly explained what she had on hand and found a corner to talk to him.

After the two sides stood still, Lu Xianzhang reported the situation of several city gates today one by one, and then said: "The Di thieves have many troops and are very powerful. I don't know where they got many siege weapons, but they attacked east and west with great force. The method was to use catapults and goose carts from Chenliu Gate today. Although it can be resisted for a while, I am afraid that if several city gates are at the same time..."

After talking about the situation of defending the city, he also talked about the deployment of troops in the city. The generals guarding several city gates urged for reinforcements and ordnance, and also said that the civil servants and others were short of manpower.

After Zhao Mingzhi listened to them one by one, he replied: "It is difficult to gather strong and brave troops, especially since several generals prefer veterans to new recruits, so we can only bring in the new with the old - I don't need to say more about this matter. I want to participate in politics in my own way." .”

"As for the people..."

She looked out from the corner, looked at the long queues, and gestured: "There are so many new recruits today. A little distribution can always alleviate the temporary difficulties, right?"

Lu Xianzhang was a little helpless.

Recruiting women as civil servants is actually a helpless move. It would be troublesome to use it, but it is just because of the reality, and even more because it is Zhao Mingzhi who raised the matter, so it is difficult to refuse.

Hearing it mentioned at this time, he finally couldn't help but said: "I want Your Highness to know that there are a lot of gravel and cannons at the city gate. Once you get to the city, the more people there are, the louder the noise will be, and the target will be more obvious. Women and children have less physical strength." , it’s difficult to deliver supplies, so I can only provide some assistance later, I’m afraid..."

Zhao Mingzhi said: "In times of real crisis, having supplies is the most important thing. I'm afraid we may not be able to care about the big and small movements. It's better to have someone on hand than no one."

"Besides, just as there are weak and powerful men among men, it is also common among women. There are also those who are outstanding among young and old. We cannot generalize them just by gender or age."

"One or two queues can be selected from them as backup, and the rest will be arranged. Today, the old people will be used to lead the new people to replace the logistics. We also ask each city gate to list the requirements. How many people are needed and what needs to be done. If there is no restriction on men and women, as long as it can be done well, it will be coordinated by the Kyoto Prefectural Government to free up manpower."

"It has to be compared. Although it is inappropriate, it is just like Tian Ji's horse racing."

"If half of the people in the city are old, weak, women and children, if they don't use them at all, how can the city be defended?"

Her tone is gentle, but the implication is very firm: "For others, this kind of manpower scheduling is naturally difficult and hard, and with the ability to participate in politics, it must be able to connect - all I say in the daytime is that a good woman can't cook without rice. Rice, no matter its size or color, how to cook it and how it tastes raw or cooked, only those who participate in politics can do it..."

These words of praise were straightforward and simple, but because of the person who spoke and the tone of his voice, Lu Xianzhang's heart aroused countless fighting spirit. For a moment, it seemed that the numerous previous troubles were no longer a problem.

He cupped his hands and said: "Your Highness, please rest assured, my officer... dare you do your best."

(End of this chapter)