The bleak autumn wind whipped up the crisp yellow leaves, whirling helplessly in the air. On both sides of the official road leading to the city, the wheat fields have long been harvested, leaving only a stubble of wheat roots clinging to the ground, as if the head of a leper has not been shaved clean. A few unclothed women and children, with withered hair on their heads, carrying broken wicker baskets, leaned over the fields to search for the remnants of wheat millet, scattered wild vegetables, and even straw and wheat roots. After all, in the years of war and chaos, these are rations that can be wrapped in the stomach.

The rumbling sound of horses' hooves disturbed the women and children who were picking up wheat grains in the fields. The fear of soldiers and horses made these women and children tremble subconsciously, but the instinct to survive kept them in the fields and intensified their search for food to wrap their stomachs. It was not until the scouts galloped across the official road that the women and children lifted their baskets and fled in all directions like frightened sparrows.

So much so that when Cai Ji's brigade passed through this place, there were no people on both sides of the official road, leaving only large areas of desolate fields spreading all the way to the foot of the mountain. However, even if he didn't see the women and children picking up wheat grains, it didn't mean that Cai Ji didn't know about the suffering of the people of Wei County. In fact, along the way, Cai Ji has seen looted villages and charred houses. After the autumn, Cao Cao, Yuan Shu, and Yuan Shang all sent soldiers and horses to collect grain and grass in various counties of Wei County. Often, this group of officers and soldiers has just left, and the next group of Wang Shi comes to knock on the door. Just imagine how Wei County's population of only a few hundred thousand can afford to support an army of more than 100,000. In less than a month, Cao Cao and the soldiers and horses of Liang Yuan ate Wei County like locusts.

However, even if Cai Ji saw the women and children who were shaving in the field just now, she would not provide food to these people. Today's Jizhou is full of people displaced by the war. Once the Qi army distributed food to the displaced people along the way, it was bound to attract more displaced people to follow and beg. Although the two counties of Donglai and Beihai are known as the granaries of Qingzhou, it is impossible to support tens of thousands of troops and tens of thousands of displaced people at the same time. Therefore, the soldiers of the Qi army may give preserved fruits to the local children, but they will never share their military rations with the displaced people. In fact, compared with the actions of Cao Cao, Yuan Shu, Yuan Shang and others, Cai Ji is already very sympathetic to the local people if he does not collect grain on the spot. And the only thing she can do for the people of Jizhou at the moment is to occupy the city, restore local order, reduce taxes as appropriate, and open a warehouse for grain relief. In addition, Cai Ji is really helpless for the time being. After all, she Cai Ji is also human. It's not a god, and it doesn't have the ability to turn a stone into gold. The name of the granary in Donglai, Beihai and other places is the result of her years of operation. Jizhou's rejuvenation is not something that can be achieved overnight.

However, although Wei County suffered greatly from the military disaster, not every common person was left to the mercy of others. In the face of troubled times, those well-established families, as well as some powerful and powerful clans, most of them recruited troops to build forts. Resist the raids of thieves and officials with private songs. Over time, local forces of all sizes have been formed. And those who lost their homes and food have thrown themselves into the rich estates as slaves and servants. The so-called slaves and servants are a kind of title for the shady households in the Han Dynasty, which are legally owned by the wealthy and powerful families who do not need to pay rent and taxes to the government and serve the army. Of course, there is a limit to the number of shaded households in the past dynasties, otherwise the households will run away from the rich manor of the family to beg for a living, so where will the government go to collect taxes. Therefore, at present, those slaves and servants recruited by various families who are taking advantage of the country's difficulties are essentially illegal hidden households.

Cai Ji, who is familiar with history, knows very well that it is precisely by virtue of these slaves and servants recruited by the late Han Dynasty who are not registered in the household registration, do not pay land tenants to the government, and do not accept miscellaneous servitudes, that the wealthy families in various places seem to have built their own estates into a country within a country. And achieved the two Jin and Northern Dynasties in the future, which lasted for more than 400 years. In fact, Cai Ji is not the only one who can shake the foundation of the imperial court. At least for now, Cao Cao has cracked down on fugitives and hidden households. Of course, it is due to the strength of the family. In most cases, Cao Cao severely punished the people of the hidden household, rather than accepting the hidden family. But in Cai Ji's opinion, as long as the war does not end for a day, the people will still take risks to become hidden households in order to survive and eat. Anyway, if you fight, the family still has a chance to survive, and if you don't fight, you will starve to death, or even be tortured and killed by thieves.

Yes, for the people. Thieves are more terrifying than the official army. The officers and soldiers only take the food, and the thieves not only steal the property, but also let you go naked. Just as Cai Ji saw on the side of the road at the moment. I saw a huge locust tree, full of blackened corpses. The corpses, unclothed, were dangled from the branches by their trouser belts and swayed in the wind, allowing the crows to peck at them with impunity. There were still a number of severed limbs scattered under the locust tree, and it was clear that the wild beast had eaten the corpse under the tree before the crow.

In other words, the Qi army scouts had encountered similar scenes before, in order not to obstruct the view. Before the arrival of the brigade, they took the initiative to dismantle the body and bury it on the spot. After Cai Ji learned about this, he specially instructed the scouts to report to her before dealing with this kind of thing in the future. So there was this scene in front of me. Although Cai Ji knew that there were many thieves in Jizhou, he didn't want the other party to be so arrogant. You must know that no matter how violent the thieves in Qingzhou were back then, they just cut down the bitter master. At that time, the people were stripped clean and hung from the tree like now, which was no longer a simple robbery, but a naked torture and killing.

Zhao Yun saw Cai Ji's face white and blue, and knew that his lord must be angry. So he explained to Cai Ji, "Lord, this move is mostly from the hands of deserters. Desertion is a capital offense, so they are more tyrannical than ordinary thieves. ”

"So to speak. Is this also a military disaster? "Cai Ji's face sank like a waterway. In fact, she also knew that war can change people's temperament. After all, the vast majority of the soldiers are from ordinary people, and if it weren't for the chaos in the world, they might never leave the village where they live for the rest of their lives. Perhaps some people will have a trace of ambition to make contributions and return to their hometowns when they follow the call of Li Zheng to enlist in the army. But when the first battle comes, when the elder brother sees his younger brother beheaded, when the father sees his son disemboweled, when the compatriots who once went out together are buried in a foreign land, when there are only strangers left around, there will always be some people who will collapse. So these people gave up the principles and aspirations they once adhered to, and began to rob the people who were like them in the past, and even robbed the people's daughters, and became the soldiers and ruffians that the people feared. What's more, they simply took advantage of the melee to flee the battlefield and become a particularly tyrannical thief as Zhao Yun said. This is the troubled times, the troubled times that turn people into ghosts.

Liu Xun and Chai Ling, who were on the side, saw that Cai Ji was suddenly silent, thinking that she was angry that bandits appeared at the junction of Wei County and Julu, so they hurriedly stepped forward to ask for sin, "The incompetence of the ministers has caused the thieves to wreak havoc, please punish the lord." ”

Cai Ji took a deep breath and changed his mood slightly. waved his hand and said, "The two of you are not Wei County bureaucrats, what a crime." ”

Liu Xun and Chai Ling couldn't help but exchange glances when they heard Cai Ji say this. In the eyes of the two of them, Wei County has already become like this, and the situation in Julu County, where the main force is outside, will not be much better. But from one point of view. And that's not a bad thing. But seeing Chai Ling following, he took the initiative to ask for battle with a fist, "Lord, Ling is willing to lead the army to recruit thieves and eliminate the harm for the people of Wei County and Julu County." ”

Cai Ji glanced at Chai Ling and knew that he was going to turn around. However, considering that allowing this gang of thieves to continue to wreak havoc might threaten the supply of the Qi army, Cai Ji nodded and replied, "This matter is up to Lao Cheshire. As long as the head is lonely, don't live the mouth. ”

"Wow. To be able to serve the Marquis of Qi is my honor. Chai Ling happily expressed his loyalty.

But Cai Ji didn't pay attention to Chai Ling's flattery, but looked at the corpse on the tree with a complicated gaze. Decently ordered, "Bury the body." ”

After this brutal episode, the Qi army finally arrived at the destination of the trip, Quqiu City, in the evening of the same day. Located at the junction of Wei and Julu Prefecture, according to Cai Ji's plan, she would join forces with Xiao Jianbu of Qinghe and then go north to subdue Julu County under the guidance of Liu Xun. As for Gao Shun and the others, she stayed in Liyang to monitor Cao Jun's movements. The reason why Cai Ji chose to personally lead the troops north instead of staying in Liyang to command remotely was mainly because he wanted to have more contact with the wealthy families in Jizhou, so that he could pacify the Heshuo counties that had been taken more quickly. So that the people of these counties will suffer less. However, at present, Xiao Jianbu has not yet arrived in the Qiuqiu, and according to the messenger's report, Cai Ji judged that he would have to stay in the Qiuqiu for at least a day or two.

Compared to the miserable appearance of the official road. The situation in the city of Rebuke Hill was obviously much better than Cai Ji had imagined. At least the land outside the city has been taken care of, and there are even farmers driving their oxen to plow the land. However, like the women and children who were digging for food by the official road, the peasants outside the city fled back to the city with their people and animals like ghosts after seeing the Qi army. Of course, the peasants' actions were not aimed at the Qi army. But in the eyes of these people, the army has become synonymous with the beast of the flood, whether the army is hanging the "Cao" flag or the "Cai" flag.

Cai Ji is not surprised by this. Anyway, she had time to slowly prove to these people that she was different from the other princes of the day. Compared with the people who ran away as soon as they saw the Qi army, the arrival of the Qi Hou was very courteous. Just as Chai Ling took the initiative to show his loyalty to Cai Ji, Qiu Ling simply gave up the mansion to Cai Ji to live, and he himself lived in the post station with his family. Cai Ji, who had already had the experience of occupying the dove's nest many times, did not refuse the kindness of the reprimanding order. Because firstly, this is a statement of acceptance of the other party's allegiance, and secondly, it is safer to live in the government.

At night, after the moon bathed and changed clothes, Cai Ji lazily leaned on the couch, holding a roll of "Wei Xuanzi", letting the long hair shawl like water leak down. "Wei Xuanzi" is a very important military book in ancient times, which is a mixture of law, Confucianism, Mo, and Taoism. But what Cai Ji valued most was that it detailed a large number of important ancient military regulations. For example, the "Separation Order" is a barracks division order, which stipulates the principle of separate defense areas and passage between various armies; The "Decree of the Pawn" is a battle formation order. Stipulate that the distinctive military flag of each army, the ranks and ranks of non-commissioned officers, and different marching units wear different insignias, etc.; The "Legging Order" is a command order for the unification army to command the golden drum and flag bell, which stipulates the role and usage of command tools such as gold, drums, flags, and bells; The "General Order" stipulates that the general is ordered by the monarch and is only responsible to the monarch, and the general has supreme authority in the army and commands the whole army in a unified manner; The "Heel Order" is the follow-up force operation order. Stipulate the distance between the follow-up force and the army, the direction of advance, the tasks to be accomplished, and the principles of security, vigilance, and disposal of deserters; The "Military Instruction" is a military training ordinance, which stipulates the training method of 'dividing camps into formations' in the army and the system of rewards and punishments in training.

Therefore, in Cai Ji's hands, "Wei Xuanzi" is not so much an art of war, but a tool book that is convenient for her to consult military regulations. And just when Cai Ji compared the content of "Wei Xuanzi" with his own march in the past few days, he suddenly heard a rhythmic knock on the door. Cai Ji didn't seem surprised by this, but when he saw her put down the scroll in her hand, she replied directly, "Come in." ”

The door of the room suddenly opened, but the person who saw entering the room was Duan Emei, the owner of the Fire Escape Banner who had not been seen for a long time. "I've seen the Lord."

"Lord Duan Qi has worked hard all the way." Cai Ji, who was smiling, motioned for Duan Emei to sit down, and asked him softly, "I don't know what the current situation is in Yecheng?" ”

After sitting down, Duan E clenched his fists and replied, "Back to the Lord, Cao Jun has besieged Yecheng, and now the people in the city are panicking. Yuan Shu not only did not know how to appease the people, but also sent his minions to loot the people's fat and ointment. ”

Cai Ji was obviously not interested in what Yuan Shu was doing. Playing with the jade pendant on her waist, she followed and asked, "What about Yu Ji Lao'er?" ”

"Yu Ji hid in the house every day, and only ordered Jun Yayun to go around to find out the news." Duan Emei paused when she said this, "In addition, Emei also found that Yu Jiming's subordinates were digging tunnels day and night in the Jingshe. ”

"Digging a tunnel?" The corners of Cai Ji's mouth raised disdainfully, thinking that this Yu Ji Lao'er really didn't have any creativity. But no creativity is no creativity, Cai Ji doesn't want Yu Ji to run away like this. Of course, she was even more reluctant for Yu Ji to fall into Cao Cao's hands. With a murderous look on his face, Cai Ji said decisively in an undeniable tone, "No matter what means you use, in short, you must not let Yu Ji leave Yecheng alive!" ”

"Whoa." Duan E clenched her fists and took Cai Ji's kill order. But then she seemed to remember something, and after hesitating for a moment, she added to Cai Ji, "Lord, Cao Jun is now commanding the besieger Naizi Xiu Gongzi." ”

"Zixiu also came to Jizhou?" Cai Ji asked with a tilted head.

"Yes. Cao Cao seems to have entrusted the siege of the city to Zixiu Gongzi. Duan E replied. In Duan Emei's opinion, although Cai Ji is a prince, he does not frown when he kills decisively. But after all, she is still a nineteen-year-old girl. Cai Ji was wronged enough to get engaged to a boy who was six years younger than her for the sake of the world. Duan Emei, who is also a woman, still hopes that Cai Ji will one day be able to obtain the happiness that belongs to a woman.

"Got it." Cai Ji's tone did not fluctuate at all, but when she picked up the book of "Wei Xuanzi" and continued to look at it.

Small Theatre Hours:

Duan Emei: Cao Sikong's stick dismantles the mandarin ducks.

CC: It's a situation.

Duan Emei: Sikong is not a pity for the second son?

CC: The three daughters of the orphan do not marry the Han Emperor in the same way. Lone is to use practical actions to prove that boys and girls are the same. (To be continued)