Sui and Tang Dynasty Generals

Chapter 74 Zhao Wenke's Conspiracy
"Conscripting civilians..."

"Look! We are conscripting civilians to build a moat to protect the city!"

“Just dig a canal outside the city!”

On the streets of East City, as officials posted notices one after another, dense crowds of people gathered together and talked to each other.

In the Sui Dynasty, whenever the call for conscription was mentioned, the people were all terrified. Over the years, Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty issued orders to forcibly conscript the people several times. There was no year when there were not millions of deaths. Many people even mutilated their hands and feet to avoid conscription.

Fortunately, the imperial edict we saw now was only an order from Jinyang, recruiting people to dig a canal in Dongcheng.

At one time, many people came to sign up.

There is no other reason. Even if you become a coolie and get little pay, at least you can have something to eat and don't have to worry about going hungry. This is very important for poor people.

"What? Building a moat?"

In the crowd, Yu Lichuan, Cai Ran, Chu Bo, Song Jianfeng and others also saw Bu Zhao. They looked at each other in an instant and were horrified.

After returning to the cottage, Song Jianfeng put down his sword and paced back and forth.

"Did the news leak out? Jinyang garrison commander Pan Changwen, be prepared in advance..."

Song Jianfeng looked at the other three and said.

As Wei Daoer's confidant, Song Jianfeng followed Chu Lichuan, Cai Ran and Chu Bo to the east city of Jinyang early in the morning to survey the surrounding terrain and the defense rules of Yingyang Mansion at any time.

In Song Jianfeng's eyes, the entire Taiyuan would be in his pocket as long as Wei Daoer's army arrived.

I never thought that today I would suddenly see an imperial decree that Dongcheng would actually dig a moat.

"It shouldn't be! There are only a handful of people who know about the plot to attack Taiyuan. Moreover, we have been in Jinyang for several days. If the news leaked out in the army, we might have become prisoners of the Sui general Pan Changwen!"

Chu Bo shook his head, and after analyzing the situation, asked Song Jianfeng to calm down.

"Yi Lichuan, Cai Ran! You two are good friends of Tang Maochun. Go to the Tang family and ask them what happened in Dongcheng and why they suddenly dug a canal!"

Chu Bo looked at Cai Ran and the other two and said, seeing them nod, he then looked at Song Jianfeng.

"Jianfeng, send someone to inform Duke Wei immediately!"

Tsurbo ordered.

Seeing Song Jianfeng nod and leave in a hurry, Chu Bo couldn't help but look at Chu Lichuan and Cai Ran.

Song Jianfeng is too impatient and not as calm as his brother Song Jingang.

In East City.

In a remote alley, under a simple shed that could not even be considered a house, a man in his forties returned to his home.

I watched my wife helping to bundle up firewood of different sizes. This was the firewood that she had collected and stored outside the city for many days, and she was going to sell it for some money.

The man knew that there was not much firewood and it was not worth much money. However, firewood of varying thickness and length would be several times cheaper than normal firewood.

"Today a lieutenant came! He issued an order that no one should harass the people in the city anymore, and no one should privately collect or forcibly take other people's food..."

The man put the knife in his hand on the ground and took off his clothes.

When his tattered clothes were revealed, it seemed that this man was not a soldier of Yingyang Mansion, but a commoner who was suffering as much as could be.

The middle-aged man told his wife what happened today and the captain's orders.

The woman with messy hair, who was often exposed to the wind and sun, fell silent when she heard her husband's words.

for a long time.

When the woman heard her husband say to take her daughter and son out to sell them, she did not say a word. She just lowered her head, raised her hand to wipe the tears from her eyes, and then looked at her two children who had been silent beside the wooden shed.

The woman looked at her son and daughter with tearful eyes for several breaths without saying a word.

The woman knew that the family had been without food for a long time. In the past, the family relied on her husband to find ways to get some food from other people who had food and bring it home.

Now that the new captain has issued an order, if my beloved disobeys it, he will certainly be arrested and killed as a warning to others. By the time the new captain has completed his new period and the rules are gradually relaxed, my family will have already starved to death.

Selling their sons and daughters, no matter what hardships they might encounter, might give them a chance to eat and not starve to death at home.

Thinking of this, the woman said nothing, but shed tears as she silently pulled her son and daughter to a broken wooden barrel. In the cold weather, she was about to wash her children's faces.

Under the wooden shed.

The man was silent, looking at his silent children. He knew that this was probably the last time that his children would wash their mother's face in this life.

"Qiu Dahan! Qiu Dahan!"

Suddenly a voice was heard. The man stood up and walked out of the wooden shed. Then he saw his captain. What frightened the man even more was that the people following the captain were not only the brigade commander, but also the young lieutenant he met in the barracks today.

"Qiu Dahan!"

Wu Liuzi looked at Qiu Dahan and shouted.

"Captain, Commander Lu, Captain!"

Qiu Dahan raised his hand in panic and saluted to everyone. He didn't understand why so many people came here.

Could it be that he had secretly taken other people's food before?
Thinking of this, Qiu Dahan's face turned pale instantly, and his palms and backs of his hands were covered with sweat.

Thinking about how several people who had bullied women in the camp today were arrested and sent to prison, and one of them drew his sword to resist and was killed in public, Qiu's legs and feet were shaking.

"Captain! I beg you to spare my life! It was my fault before, and I will never make the same mistake again! I beg you to spare my life!"

After a few breaths, knowing that he could not hide the past events, Qiu knelt on the ground and begged for mercy in panic. The women and children in the wooden shed all looked at this scene with fear.

"stand up!"

Fu Zihou looked at the living environment of Qiu Dahan, stepped forward personally, bent down and helped Qiu Dahan up with both hands.

Looking at the big man Qiu, Fu Zihou's tone was not as stern as it had been in the barracks just now, but rather very easy-going.

Fu Zihou gave people a sense of elegance, especially his eyes. Now with his kind tone, although Qiu Dahan didn't understand what was going on, he gradually calmed down.

"Over the years, some of the villagers who supported you were conscripted to build the Luoyang Palace, and some were conscripted to repair the river. Many of them have died. The elderly and weak in their families were unable to farm, so they sold their land. Some starved to death..."

Qiu Dahan looked a little gloomy when listening to Fu Zihou talking about his situation. Unlike the others, his situation was different because his land was divided up and occupied by the aristocratic families and there was no one to make a decision for him.

"You record the situation back then, and I'll help you go to the county and redistribute your household registration!"

Fu Zihou looked at Qiu Dahan and said.

It is to establish authority in the camp and to get rid of a few troublemakers, but it does not mean that Fu Zihou will just exert pressure and give benefits to win people's hearts. Qiu Dahan is not the first one. There have been many similar experiences to Qiu Dahan along the way.

Fu Zihou had just arrived, so naturally he would not come into conflict with the deeply-rooted aristocratic families, but that did not mean that Fu Zihou had no solutions.

It was precisely because the land was annexed by the Jinyang aristocratic families that the harm of the military system was exposed, which gave Fu Zihou the opportunity.

"Thank you Captain!"

It was the first time that Qiu Dahan heard that someone wanted to make a decision for him and help him. In an instant, the middle-aged man's eyes turned red and he knelt down again in front of Fu Zihou.

Mr. Qiu was not good at speaking and had never read, so he didn't know what to write. He just looked at the young captain in front of him with red eyes.

"You don't have to pay back the money. Before your household registration is assigned, take good care of your family. After your household registration is assigned, take your wife and children to live in a better place!"

Fu Zihou helped Qiu Dahan up again, then took out a large string of money from his arms and gave it to Qiu Dahan.

Looking at the fear-stricken Qiu in front of him, Fu Zihou felt a little emotional. In fact, as long as these people were given a chance to live, he would die for them and go through fire and water for them. However, those aristocratic families who only cared about pleasure would never even look at them.

The Sui Dynasty Emperor Yang Guang was busy enjoying himself and building palaces. The court ministers were busy vying to please Yang Guang and turned a blind eye to the rebellions of bandits throughout the country. The local officials were busy taking advantage of the chaos to make money and enjoy themselves.

No one would even look at these people until they were left with no other options and were forced to become bandits. Only then would the bigwigs take notice and send troops to encircle and suppress them.

At the moment, in Fu Zihou's eyes, things that can be solved with a small amount of money are not a big deal. These are the soldiers registered in Yingyang Mansion. Giving these soldiers money does not mean raising private soldiers.

Not to mention that in three months, 100,000 rebels would attack Taiyuan, even if Pan Changwen asked him in person, Fu Zihou could give a reasonable and well-founded explanation.

After solving Qiu Dahan's survival problem and asking some more questions, Fu Zihou took Hu Jingyuan, Yin Tianzong and others and continued to walk towards the residences of other soldiers in need.

........................

West City of Jinyang.

Inside the Yingyang Mansion, a soldier came into the meeting room and handed over a bamboo slip. After Pan Changwen read it, he suddenly smiled and then handed the slip to Zhao Wenke.

"This Fenwu Lieutenant is probably going to make people laugh. He is a warrior personally appointed by His Majesty, but after arriving in Jinyang, he repeatedly requested to transport soldiers, armor and food. If this gets out, wouldn't everyone in the world know that the lieutenant of our Great Sui Dynasty is so scared of the rebels that he is trying to hide in the city!"

After Zhao Wen Ke read the bamboo slips, he couldn't help but raise his mouth under his beard.

When Zhao Wenke first saw the actions of Jinyang Magistrate Liu Wenjing, he realized that this was the young Fenwu Wei's surrender and that he was weakening through Liu Wenjing.

In addition, Wen Dayou suddenly said that the Fenwu Wei was the grandson-in-law of the former old Li, so Zhao Wenke knew that Pan Changwen would not do anything.

Never thought.

Young people are not sophisticated enough in doing things, but they take some things too far.

Not only did they recruit the people of East City to dig a moat, they also had to write a letter to Pan Changwen in Yingyang Prefecture, requesting that another 5,000 suits of armor and 10,000 hu of grain be transferred from the warehouse in West City.

This young man must have lost his mind!
Ten thousand hu of grain is a total of 600,000 jin!
Does this young man really want to build East City into a strong and fortified city? But the problem is that this is Taiyuan County, an important place in Jinyang, where the thieves dare not invade.

If you make such a blatant move here, I'm afraid everyone in Taiyuan will laugh at you.

"Such a rash request, aren't you afraid of losing all the reputation of the Sui Dynasty? Send someone to take the letter back!"

When Pan Changwen heard what Zhao Wenke said, he said with a mocking tone that although he knew that the other party was bowing his head, such affectation was really unpleasant. Not only did he not have the slightest good impression of him, but he felt even more disgusted with him.

"grown ups!"

When Zhao Wen Ke heard Pan Changwen's words, he suddenly thought of something, his expression changed, and then he showed joy and saluted Pan Changwen.

"Sir! After all, the title of Fenwu Wei was bestowed by His Majesty himself. If you refuse, I'm afraid you will be deprived of the title of Fenwu Wei! If you don't... follow it? First of all, this move will surely make the people of Jinyang and the noble families laugh at you!"

Zhao Wen Ke whispered a suggestion to Pan Changwen, then laughed.

"Secondly, with such a large-scale transportation of grain and grass, the Warehouse Supervisor would definitely submit it to Luoyin together with the Palace Supervisor Pei Ji. At that time, the Lord also made a brief statement in the memorial..."

Zhao Wen Ke looked at Pan Changwen and didn't say the rest.

When Pan Changwen heard what Zhao Wenke said, he looked at Zhao Wenke and suddenly laughed.

Zhao Wen Ke and Liu Wenjing have never gotten along well. Originally, Zhao Wen Ke had no ill will towards that boy, but because of Liu Wenjing, Zhao Wen Ke didn't mind framing that boy.

If what Zhao Wen Ke said is true, I am afraid that Your Majesty will be unhappy when he finds out, and will revoke his title and official position.

"It's as you say!"

Pan Changwen spoke.

In Pan Changwen's eyes, the Wen family cannot blame him. It was that kid who did not know how to restrain himself. He agreed to it to give face to the Wen family.

(End of this chapter)