After noon in the Chinese New Year's Eve, the sky began to be gloomy after more than half a month of sunshine. By evening, the sky was covered with dark gray clouds. Goose-feathered snowflakes gathered in clusters and raged in the howling north wind. By dawn the next day, the ancient city of Yanzhou had been wrapped in a white world.

The heavy snow continued to fall intermittently until the morning of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, and there was still no sign of stopping.

Around mid-morning, the snow finally stopped, the sky began to clear, and the warm sun drove away the dark clouds in the sky, allowing the long-lost sun to reappear on the blue sky. The city also woke up, and the streets and alleys, which had been silent for several days, gradually became quiet, and the people who were blocked by the snow came out of their houses one after another, took rakes and brooms and hurried to sweep the snow on the roofs, walls, courtyards, and streets, gathering snowdrifts and building snowmen. The streets are also bustling with activity. Although the shops are not yet open according to customs, there are people everywhere carrying a hanging of snacks to pay New Year's greetings. Groups of dolls with colorful windmills in their hands are running around with a whoop of whoa.

When it was almost noon, an inconspicuous black caravan stopped in front of the old official post in Zaozi Lane in the south of the city.

Before the carriage could stop, a man with a felt hat and a short jacket who was sitting on the wheel jumped out of the carriage neatly, and walked up the steps a few steps, and before he could speak, a post man came out of the gatehouse, pointed to a few muddy footprints on the freshly cleaned blue stone and shouted: "What person? Don't have eyes?! Didn't see this was ......."

The attendant interrupted Yi Ding's words and said, "Please help inform General Shang, General Ximen, that my master Lu came to visit the two adults." ”

The post man glanced at the man impatiently, snorted in his nose, stretched out his hand and said, "Bring the sticker!" ”

At this time, the coachman had already set up a step stool in front of the wheel, and the clogs for walking in the mud and snow were placed on the stool, and the cotton curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a middle-aged man wearing a hat and a leather robe came out of the car with a hunched waist.

The post man immediately recognized that it was Wei Mu Lu Ji who came out of the carriage, and he screamed "Mom" in his mouth, and he turned around and ran away before he could even say anything. Lu Ji stood in front of the steps with his feet on the clogs, stretched out his hand to smooth out a few wrinkles on the cuffs of his crown and robe, and heard the footsteps in the post house.

Ximen Sheng bowed his hand to Lu Ji while going down the steps, and said with a smile: "The two of us also said that we would go to Lu Mu to pay New Year's greetings after a while, but I didn't expect Lu Mu to come to see us first." As he spoke, he waved his hand, "Let's go, go in and talk." Shang Cheng smiled beside him and said, "I roasted a sheep the night before yesterday, and Chen Zhuguo came; The beef that was stewed this morning, now is the time for the smell to be sparse, Lu Mu arrived at the ground of Yanzhou and was really evil, he usually eats clear soup and tofu, and he can't see a shadow of a person. ”

Lu Ji was sad and anxious, listened to Shang Cheng's joke, and said with a wry smile: "The two generals laughed......

Ximen Sheng and Shang Cheng glanced at each other. Shang Cheng said: "Go in and say." ”

The three of them went all the way into the courtyard where Shang Cheng temporarily lived, settled down in the upper room, and before waiting for the servants in the post house to offer tea, Lu Ji said anxiously: "Two generals, Lu Mou came in a hurry, if there is any rudeness, he will definitely come to the door to apologize another day." As he spoke, he stood up and took a deep look, "I beg the two of you for the matter, and I hope that the two generals will not refuse." ”

Ximen Sheng is a cautious person, listening to Lu Ji's deep words, his face is so solemn, there is no smile on his face, his eyes are staring at Wei Mu and he said slowly: "I don't know what Lu Mu is for?" What do you want me and General Shang to do? Is there a bandit nearby? Then the patriarch should submit a letter to the camp! The Patriarch should also know that the movement of the guards must first be ordered by the camp, and the documents can only be acted after the order is inspected. Without Chen Zhuguo's military order, General Shang and I could not even assign a battalion. ”

Shang Cheng said: "Patriarch Lu, you sit down first, don't worry, everything is easy to discuss." Seeing that Lu Ji sat down with a disappointed face, Shang Cheng was already sure that Ximensheng's expectations were wrong. Unlike Ximen Sheng, who governed the army in Fangzhou without fighting in Yanbei, he has been in Yanzhou for the past four months, and knows how embarrassing the situation of the state city has become. What kind of military parade heroes' banquet and fireworks can only be peaceful, and they cannot fundamentally solve the problems that Yanshan is currently facing, one by one, the clothing, food, housing and transportation of the fleeing people! Besides, as the patriarch of Yiwei, it is impossible for Lu Ji not to know that it is a big crime to move the army without a military order, whether it is Yanzhou or other places to make trouble, Lu Ji will not directly come to the two generals to complain! The matter is clear, a small group of bandits will not need them, and they will not be able to suppress a large group of bandits without soldiers in their hands. Lu Ji came empty-handed, not for military affairs, then it can only be for government affairs! What is the most important and tricky thing in Yanzhou at the moment? Grain! The rations of the tens of thousands of refugees outside the city are the most important thing! He asked, "You're here for food, aren't you?" ”

Lu Ji nodded hurriedly: "Exactly!" The grain depot in Yanzhou City has been exhausted, and the four porridge farms outside the city are about to run out of grain, and now they are barely supported by the surplus grain donated by large households. But for the more than 30,000 refugees, this food is just a drop in the bucket, and it is not enough at all! ”

Ximen Sheng's brows suddenly wrinkled even tighter, and while quietly glancing at Shang Cheng, signaling him not to talk again, he said to Lu Ji: "Then Lu Mu should report to Xingying and let Xingying think of a proper way, or ask Chen Zhuguo to give an order to open the military warehouse in Yanzhou." "This matter can't be coaxed by the blind man with Lu Ji, if he is grabbed by Li Shen or someone else with a heart, not to mention that Admiral Yanshan can't do it, I'm afraid that the title will be difficult to protect! This is Yanzhou, this is tens of thousands of people, not thousands of people in that small place in Yi County!

Lu Ji sighed deeply before he said anything. Can he still not know these truths that Ximen Sheng said? Yesterday afternoon, as soon as he received the news from the people below, he went to the camp, and the camp was still the same old saying: it is okay to put grain, but it must be approved by the Ministry of War; He also looked for Chen Pu, but the camp did not report the message, and she couldn't put the grain even if she wanted to. Just now, he also looked for Cao Zhang and Pan Lian, and they also had no way to deal with this tricky matter, and the two of them only managed to get the officials who committed the crime, and the local military affairs and government affairs were all helpless. However, they gave Lu Ji an idea, and asked Lu Ji to find a way to survive these few days, and he must stay up until the new admiral takes office, and then these problems will be the problems of the new admiral; Regardless of whether his new admiral opened a military warehouse or ignored it, Lu Ji also had a chance to get out of the matter, at least he would not shoulder the responsibility alone......

Lu Ji also knew that the two waiters had such an idea, and in the final analysis, it was for themselves. But how did he survive that day? The porridge field is about to close, and in this snowy and cold weather, it is a piece of death! What's more, the snow has fallen so heavily these days, who knows if the road will be blocked? If the road is impassable, will there be any delay in the official document? Besides, although they recommended Shang Cheng, did the imperial court agree to disagree with their recommendation? If not, will the court appoint another admiral? If the Admiral is delayed for a day or two in the middle of his appointment in order to avoid trouble, who should bear this responsibility? Alas......

Shang Cheng didn't seem to see Ximen Shengdi's eyes, and asked with concern, "What does Lu Mu want us to do?" ”

"In today's situation, if you don't release food, you will starve to death, and once you die, it will only be sooner or later to provoke a civil uprising." Lu Ji said.

"We know." Shang Cheng said. He ignored Ximensheng's warning look and continued to ask, "Then how do you want us to help you?" ”

"Please ask the two generals to go to the camp with me to present the facts, and let the camp draft the official document for opening the warehouse and releasing military rations, and then hand it over to Chen Zhuguo for seal!"

Seeing that Shang Cheng was about to accept it when he opened his mouth, Ximensheng hurriedly interjected and said: "I'm afraid that the two of us alone won't succeed, and we have to find someone else." Has the patriarch ever looked for Li Shoude? He is an old Yanshan, and he is an old military officer, and what he said weighed more than me and General Shang combined. As he spoke, he stared at Shang Cheng again. Why is this stupid boy so ignorant that he dares to agree to such a thing? Didn't he say that he had been reprimanded by the imperial court for releasing grain without authorization, why didn't he have a long memory?

Lu Ji sighed again. Of course he knew that Li Shen was talking about the matter, but didn't he have a fight with Li Shen for the sake of recommending the admiral? Knowing that it would be like today's situation, he would never have agreed to Di Xu and Tao Qi's joint recommendation! Now it's okay, in order to calm the grievances of his colleagues and subordinates against the Li family, he put himself in. If it really provoked a civil uprising, he Lu Ji imagined that Li Wei would be locked up and taken into Beijing like that, but he was afraid that it would be an extravagant hope......

Ximen Sheng still wanted to speak, but Shang Cheng had already opened his mouth first: "Rely on the three of us to find the camp theory, most of them will not succeed." ”

Ximensheng immediately put down the snack. It seems that this blind businessman has not yet arrived at home, and finally knows a little bit of advance and retreat. Whoever is involved in this kind of thing is unlucky, one by one, it is the military rations that the imperial court has hoarded and prepared to fight the exhaustion of the people, not to mention that the camp does not dare to move, and there is no resolution of the three provinces, even the military department does not dare to move! Even if he wants to move the idea of releasing military rations, he has to wait until he sits firmly in the position of commander, ties all the civil and military officials together, and forces them to agree together, and then he dares to act!

“…… Without the report of the camp, Chen Zhuguo could not have given the order; The camp will not let go. Shang Cheng thought for a while and said, "In this way, my three brigades are stationed outside the city, and there is some food in the army, and I will first transfer some money for you to solve the current problem." ”

Ximen Sheng's mouth was open enough to swallow the tea cup in his hand, and he stared at Shang Cheng with round eyes.

Lu Ji was already desperate, hearing Shang Cheng say this, he didn't speak for a long time with his mouth open, and it took a long time to react, stand up and bow deeply to Shang Cheng.

Shang Cheng also stood up and said, "Without further ado, let's go." Lu Mu, you send people to prepare carriages and horses to carry grain, and I will go to the army to check the documents and account books first, and see how much grain I can help you. ”

“…… Good! ”