Han officials

Chapter 23: The fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold [4K]

The second year of Zhongping, the first month of spring.

As Wei Zhe and the Tian family of Yangqiu clashed, Daifang County began to see undercurrents.

But no matter how much we fight, we still have to celebrate the New Year.

On New Year's Day, the entire Daifang County seemed to have awakened from hibernation and became full of vitality.

Looking around, you can see tigers painted on the doors of every household, and peach wood tablets of Shentu and Yulei placed on both sides.

From time to time, you can see a group of children in white clothes wearing ghost masks and holding rattles running around on the streets. Even if pedestrians accidentally bump into them, they will only laugh and scold them.

After all, children's Nuo opera is meant to drive away ghosts and evil spirits. The happier they are playing, the safer and smoother the coming year will be.

As the night deepens, every household begins to worship their ancestors and stay up all night to celebrate the New Year.

As the heat rose, the rich smell of human life enveloped the entire Daifang City.

At the same time, the backyard of the official residence was also very lively.

Although Wei Zhe was traveling on official business without any family members by his side, fortunately he had many friends around him.

So when all the lights in the city were on, Wei Zhe also sat around the fire with Xi Zhicai, Taishi Ci and others.

After the dinner, Guan, who was old, couldn't hold on any longer and went to bed first.

"Come, have another glass of Tusu wine!"

Recalling the official report he saw during the day, Wei Zhe, who was a little drunk, suddenly wanted to drink again.

Xi Zhicai understood immediately after hearing this and sighed, "It's time to drink a few more cups!"

The reason is simple. News came this morning: there is a major epidemic in Jizhou.

Although I don’t know whether the saying that Tu Su wine can prevent plague is true, it is at least a comfort to me.

In the face of the plague, even Wei Zhe, a time traveler, could not guarantee that he would survive.

Taishi Ci was also filled with emotion when he heard this.

"Why is the world so plagued by disasters? The rebellion has just been quelled, and now the plague has broken out. Alas!"

However, before Taishi Ci finished speaking, Wei Zhe shook his head slightly and said:
"After a war, there are often major epidemics. It's not too surprising, but it has caused great suffering to the people of Jizhou."

Upon hearing this, Xi Zhicai's expression suddenly became complicated.

Because his parents died of illness in the great epidemic in the third year of Guanghe.

At that time, almost every household in the counties of Yuzhou was in mourning, and it was only after that that the Taiping Dao spread in Yuzhou.

Seeing the atmosphere was somewhat subdued, Wei Zhe immediately smiled and said, "Forget it. Jizhou's affairs are beyond our control. As an official, we are here to benefit the people. We will do our best to govern and make things convenient for them."

"Yeah, that's the point! Drink, drink!"

Seeing the two of them say this, Taishi Ci immediately smiled proudly and said, "Okay~ I won't go home until I'm drunk!"

So, with the crackling sound of bamboo joints in the stove, the first year of Zhongping passed!
……

In the sound of firecrackers, one year old,

The spring breeze sent warmth into Tu Su.

Thousands of doors and thousands of households are chaotic days,
Always exchange new peaches for old ones.

The next day, the sky was slightly bright.

The New Year atmosphere had not yet faded, but Wei Zhe got up early and went to the camp in the north of the city to comfort his volunteers.

There is no way. In this world, if you don’t have any soldiers, you don’t even have the confidence to speak.

"Boyan, thank you for your hard work!"

After personally distributing the annual reward to each of his followers, Wei Zhe patted Zhong Hu on the shoulder.

Although Zhong Hu is not as brave as Taishi Ci, he is the person Wei Zhe trusts the most.

Only when Zhong Hu was in charge of the camp could Wei Zhe feel at ease to fight his wits and courage outside.

Zhong Hu, as always, was not good at speaking. Upon hearing this, he immediately said, "Training all day is not tiring, but I am bored."

Hearing him say this, Wei Zhe immediately laughed.

"Hahaha~ Don't worry, there will be a time for you to fight!"

This was indeed the case. The next afternoon he received news of the invasion of the Xianbei people.

To be precise, someone came in person to report the news.

"Reporting to the county lord, the number of Huibei people entering the Great Wall this time is about 4,000. They seem to be led by Han people and are coming from Yangqiu."

Wei Zhe was not too surprised when he heard this, but felt relieved instead.

Seeing the yellow-faced man in front of him with frostbite on his hands, Wei Zhe immediately said in a gentle voice: "Thank you for your hard work. What's your name?"

"I dare not say that it is hard work! I am Shu Yuan, a soldier guarding the Xinchuan Pass."

The reason why this garrison soldier dared to enter the city when the Hubei tribe was about to besiege it was actually very simple.

This is because Wei Zhe was the only commander who patrolled the border in winter and rewarded the garrison soldiers.

He showed Shu Yuan respect, and the man was willing to repay it with his life.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe couldn't help but sigh: "Many people who are brave and righteous are butchers. The ancients were right!"

After ordering someone to take the messenger away to rest, Wei Zhe quickly called Xi Zhicai over.

After hearing this news, Xi Zhicai was not surprised. Instead, he smiled and said, "The Tian family's residence in Dongcheng is already deserted, but the other families haven't made any moves. It seems that the Tian family is the mastermind behind this matter."

Wei Zhe couldn't help but laugh when he heard this: "It seems that we have found the lifeblood of the Tian family, otherwise this guy wouldn't be so desperate."

"If that's the case, the root cause should still be the Tian family iron mine."

Xi Zhicai didn't expect this trick to be so effective. Of course, it was mainly because he underestimated the arrogance of the powerful people in the border areas.

Fortunately, the overall situation did not exceed their expectations and everything is still under control.

Wei Zhe immediately stood up and said proudly, "Well, let's clean up Daifang County today, otherwise the spring plowing will be delayed."

As he spoke, it seemed as if Tian was like an ant that could be easily eliminated.

However, Wei Zhe is full of confidence, but others may not think so.

As the news of the Xianbei invasion spread, people in Daifang City were suddenly in panic.

In other words, the people in the border areas were experienced and knew that leaving the city would mean death, otherwise the city would have been empty long ago.

It was precisely because of this that Wei Zhe was able to recruit two thousand young and strong men to defend the city after the Xianbei tribes besieged the city.

……

West of the city, on the city gate tower.

Looking at the group of evil people below the city who were howling like ghosts and wolves, Wei Zhe couldn't help but frown.

After the baptism of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Wei Zhe still has this vision.

"That's more than four thousand people, almost five thousand if not more."

Shu Yuan, the soldier who risked his life to report the news, became agitated upon hearing this. He was about to explain something when Wei Zhe waved his hand and interrupted him, saying, "This has nothing to do with you. I'm afraid Tian has personally taken up the battle."

Knowing that East City is difficult to attack, they chose West City, which shows that there are smart people among this group of people.

Moreover, they even had all the siege equipment ready, which showed that their craftsmen were good.

In addition, there was a group of people in the crowd who also had their hair loose and wore clothes with left lapels, but their behavior did not have the casual attitude of the evil cavalrymen around them, which was obviously a deliberate disguise.

Based on the above points, if it weren't for Tian Wen, that guy Wei Zhe's name would be read backwards.

Hearing Wei Zhe say this, the county magistrate Huang Xiong beside him suddenly turned pale and his legs trembled.

"County Lord, how about...let's have a good talk."

"The wicked are only interested in profit. It would be better to give them some money, perhaps it will help them resolve their problems!"

Huang Xiong never imagined that pretending to be a grandson these days would lead to disaster. If he had known how dangerous it was to become an official and make money, he would have been better off being a local tycoon in western Liaoning.

Seeing this, Xi Zhicai smiled and said, "Why worry, Mr. Huang? The city hasn't been breached yet. It's still unknown who will live and who will die!"

But the more Xi Zhicai said this, the more Huang Xiong felt the urge to go to the toilet.

At the same time, Wei Zhe on the top of the city suddenly shouted: "Tian Wen, since you are here, why don't you dare to show yourself?"

Seeing no reaction from the city, Wei Zhe continued his furious outburst, "You dare to be a traitor? You don't even dare to see me? You're nothing but a cowardly rat!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the veins of a man with loose hair, left-side lapel and a face scarf among the Hu cavalry suddenly bulged.

As Wei Zhe expected, this person was none other than Tian Wen, the chief clerk of Daifang County.

However, there was one thing that Wei Zhe had not guessed, that was the court official Zhang An was also here.

Seeing that Tian Wen was somewhat exasperated, Zhang An immediately advised: "Brother Yuan Sheng, why bother to argue with a dead man?"

You know, it's okay for them to do these things privately, but if they are really exposed, it will be difficult to end.

In fact, this is also the reason why the Xianbei people are willing to cooperate with them.

Because of the existence of Daifang City, the Xianbei people now have an additional place where they can trade freely.

But if Daifang County was abandoned, they would have to look for Han local leaders to cooperate with again.

Tian Wen also understood this, so he took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, saying, "After we enter the city, I will tear this guy into pieces!"

Seeing the two of them like this, the young general from the Humble Beggar group couldn't help but taunt them in broken Chinese: "You Han people are so pretentious, not as straightforward as us Humble Beggars."

After saying this, the man looked greedy and said, "Three thousand ring-handled swords are not enough this time. I want five thousand."

I have to say that this evil leader has some brains and knows what a seller's market is.

This was indeed the case. Although Tian Wen and Zhang An were angry at his price-gouging behavior, they still agreed.

After all, the enemy is already at the gates of the city. If the Xianbei people withdraw their troops at this time, they will be the ones to die.

At the same time, Wei Zhe was seen patrolling back and forth on the top of the city wall in armor, encouraging morale.

Although the young and strong volunteers on the city wall were a little panicked, they finally managed to keep their composure.

Because if they retreat, their families behind them will have nowhere to retreat.

Of course, it was fortunate that the kang this winter attracted a lot of people to Wei Zhe's home, otherwise the outcome would be hard to say.

This year is the warmest winter for the people in the city.

Therefore, even though Wei Zhe has not been in office for long, his prestige is higher than that of all the previous Dai Fanglings.

……

……

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

While the Xianbei people were besieging the city, Taishi Ci was also marching quickly with a group of troops in the wilderness.

That’s right, Wei Zhe had been waiting for this day for a long time.

In fact, when the Tian family mansion was deserted last night, Xi Zhicai, who had been keeping a close eye on the place, received the news.

So Taishi Ci left the city that night and headed to the abandoned site of Haiming County.

In fact, long before taking office, Wei Zhe had already been thinking about how to break the deadlock.

As for the possibility of living in harmony with local powerful people, Wei Zhe didn't even dare to think about it.

There is no way. A county has limited production resources. If the powerful take more, Wei Zhe will have nothing to take. This is a fundamental contradiction that cannot be reconciled at all unless he is willing to kneel down.

Therefore, the five hundred elite cavalrymen were just an open card, and Wei Zhe actually had a hidden plan.

Soon, this huge group of people arrived at Tianshiwu in Yangqiu Township.

Looking at the fort not far away, Taishi Ci said without further ado to the ragged soldiers around him, "The county lord has ordered that whoever captures this fort may cultivate the land there."

As soon as these words were spoken, the group of soldiers around him who looked like beggars suddenly looked like hungry wolves.

That’s right, Wei Zhe was engaged in maritime smuggling again.

I'm afraid even Guan didn't expect that Wei Zhe would use the four ships they sent to this extent.

However, time was urgent, and Wei Zhe only had time to buy more than 2,000 Yellow Turban remnants from Qingzhou.

After all, it is freezing cold now. Although Haiming County is on the sea, it does not have an ice-free port.

In the end, these more than 2,000 remaining Yellow Turban soldiers disembarked directly from the ship at sea and went ashore on bamboo rafts.

Many people froze to death during the trip.

Fortunately, there were still some ruins left after the abandonment of Haiming County, which allowed them to dig holes in the ground and survive.

So if Tian Wen didn't take action, Wei Zhe would soon lose his patience.

After all, a few days is still okay, but if it goes on for a long time, even if these Yellow Turban remnants don’t die, they will have no fighting power.

Fortunately, all the waiting was worth it.

Although the watchtower of Tian's Fort discovered Taishi Ci and his group in time, the people below did not react.

By the time the guards hurriedly closed the fort gate, Taishi Ci had already led more than 2,000 remaining Yellow Turban soldiers across the trench and headed straight for the bottom of the fort wall.

Relying on a few rough wooden ladders, many Yellow Turban soldiers almost rushed to the top of the wall in the first wave.

At the same time, another group of people carried the large tree that had just been cut down and rushed towards the dock gate.

Everything happened so unexpectedly.

When Tian Shao, the old head of the Tian family, received the news and rushed to the attic, he suddenly felt dizzy.

"Where do all these refugees come from?"

After asking a random question in a panic, Tian Shao quickly realized that something seemed wrong.

After all, the refugees from his family are so experienced in sieges that they can fight as well as his troops.

The more he looked at Tian Shao, the more anxious he felt. He felt that the Tian family might be in great trouble today.

Because when Tian Wen left today, he took away half of the troops in the dock.

You should know that the Tian family had only 200 soldiers and more than 4,000 concubines and slaves.

Excluding the elderly, the weak, women and children, there are only about a thousand young and strong men in Tianshiwu.

What's more, Taishi Ci came too quickly, and the dock was completely unprepared.

But Tian Shao has lived long enough and has some experience.

Seeing the critical situation, he immediately gave a decisive order: "Today, if you kill one enemy, you will be rewarded with 100 gold coins. If the money is not enough, you can use the grain storage in the dock at will."

The generous reward did indeed have some effect.

It's a pity that that's all. The determination of the Yellow Turban remnants outside the dock is no less than that of these guards.

And Taishi Ci below also discovered Tian Shao in the attic at this moment.

Although he didn't know who this gorgeously dressed old man was, it didn't stop Taishi Ci from shooting an arrow at him.

Anyway, no matter who it is, you will know after trying it.

So just as Tian Shao was trying his best to boost morale, Taishi Ci shot an arrow and they fell down immediately.

In an instant, the guards in the attic were stunned, and the Tian clan members cried out in grief: "The master is dead! The master is dead!"

For a moment, the already shaky defense line collapsed completely.

At the same time, the dock gate finally collapsed after several violent collisions.

Seeing this, the remaining Yellow Turban soldiers outside the fort immediately cheered, and then rushed into the fort like wolves and tigers, directly cutting off the Tian family's last chance of a comeback...

(End of this chapter)