Shi Hu's soldiers were defeated and fled, until they reached the mountains between Pingyang and Xihe, and then set up camp and rested slightly.

He consulted with the generals - there was a lesson from Zhu Rail's beheading, and the generals did not dare to speak falsely, although they discussed, in fact, Shi Hu was alone in expressing his opinion - and said: "This time I am tired of Zhu Rail and others, and it is difficult to overcome Pingyang for a while, but our army must not retreat back to Jinyang suddenly." If the Jin people chase after the tail, break through the mountains, and enter the plains, then the state is in danger!

"That's why I should garrison here, strengthen the fortress built by the Jin people the day before yesterday, and set up a formation against the mountain to plug the road north of the Jin Kou."

His remarks are not unreasonable, but the problem is that the morale is low now, and the grain is not enough - the grain stored in Gaoliang was burned by Chen An, and even most of the more than 100,000 cattle and sheep have run away - if you continue to hang the army, it will be difficult to hold on for a long time. Therefore, Wang Xu cautiously proposed: "The last official requested to return to Jinyang in the north and urge the transportation of grain and straw for military needs. ”

In fact, Wang Xu wanted to take the opportunity to run away, he didn't want to fight an uncertain battle with Shi Hu again, and he was afraid that one day he would be careless and follow in the footsteps of Zhu Liang. Although he and Zhang Qun belong to Cheng Yao's party, and they are not in harmony with Zhu Liang, they are colleagues after all, and it is inevitable that there will be sad sighs of rabbits and foxes.

Shi Hu didn't see this guy's fancy intestines, so he immediately agreed, and said: "I still need to order Xiaozong to recruit soldiers in Jinyang and Xihe counties, and continue to serve in our army." Wang Xu arched his hand and said: "Please ask the Taiwei to deliver the official document so that it can be presented to the envoy." ”

Shi Hu immediately ordered the secretary to write an official document and hand it over to Wang Xu, who was really panicked, and hurriedly led more than a dozen guards to ride out of the camp on fast horses, until he crossed the mountain road and stepped into the boundary of the West River, which finally greatly relieved.

The military situation was urgent, and he did not dare to slack off, so he traveled day and night, rode his horse, and arrived in Jinyang in just three days. After he entered the city, he first went to visit Chao Zan, who joined the army, and then came with Chao Zan to see Xu Xian.

Chao Zan is Shi Hu's confidant and was ordered to stay in Jinyang. After all, Shi Xuxian was a civil official and didn't know how to fight at all, so before Shi Hu left the army, he begged the generals to stay in the town to prevent Tuoba Xianbei from invading again, or any thieves in the territory. Shi Hu immediately ordered his cronies to join the army Chao Zan to stay in Jinyang, coordinate the rear military, and at the same time let Liu Hu lead his headquarters to camp in Yangqu City as the northern barrier of Jinyang.

Let's say that Xu Xian took Shi Hu's official document and read it at a glance, and couldn't help frowning. Immediately, he didn't bother with Wang Xu, but turned to Chao Zan, and said with a bitter face: "Chao Jun, the affairs in the state, Jun also knows very well, where is there still surplus food and surplus soldiers to send?" ”

His name is Bingzhou Thorn History, but in fact, he can only manage the two counties of Taiyuan and Xihe, as well as half of Xinxing County; Shangdang and Leping in the east, because of the long distance of the road and the inconvenient transportation, are basically decided by the Shangdang Taishou Zhiqu Liu, and the Yanmen County in the north is based on Tuoba Xianbei.

At the beginning of the Jin Dynasty, because it was in the rear of the Three Kingdoms for a long time, and since Cao Cao subdued the Southern Xiongnu, it was less warned, as for Tuoba and other Xianbei departments although they rose, they could not go deep at the beginning, and the long-term state of peace made the state prosperous and prosperous. During the reign of Emperor Taikang of the Jin Dynasty, there were more than 60,000 households in the world, and according to the general situation of one household of five, there were 300,000 residents.

You must know that Henan Yin, who was in the world at that time, had only 110,000 household registrations, and Pingyang and Hedong had more than 40,000 each. Moreover, there were many hidden households in the early Jin Dynasty, and the real number was at least four to fifty percent, and the real population of more people living in Bingzhou was estimated to be no less than 600,000!

It's a pity that natural disasters and man-made disasters have continued since then, and Sima Teng, the assassin of Bingzhou, was forced by Hu Han on the outside and suffered from famine on the inside, leading more than 100,000 people to "go to Jizhou" and become a "beggar job". It wasn't until the first year of Guangxi that Liu Kun served as the assassin of Bingzhou, he recruited more than 1,000 people, and went all the way to Jinyang. Although Liu Yueshi is too selfish and has a short control, he is still quite talented and accomplished in calming down the locality, pacifying the people, and developing production.

The annexed states under Liu Kun's rule, although they lost Yanmen County in the north and half of Xinxing County, ceded ...... Oh no, the canonization was given to Tuoba Xianbei - the remnants of the land could still gather nearly half of the population of the past, and the victory was no less than 50,000. It's a pity that once defeated, the Jin and the land were all lost, and Shihu captured Taiyuan and other counties, saw the village slaughtering the village, saw the city slaughtering the city, and the state fell into hell on earth......

When Shi Sheng was guarding the annexation of the state, he made an appointment with the assassin Shi Xuxian to appease the people, develop production, and restore the situation when the annexation was in its heyday - at least it had to catch up with Liu Kun back then, otherwise how could it fight against the increasingly powerful Guanzhong-Hedong forces? However, as soon as the work improved slightly, the "son-in-law" withdrew gloomily, and Shi Hu, the murderous demon king, returned.

As soon as Shi Hu arrived, he immediately mobilized troops and horses and defeated Tuoba Yulu near Jiuyuan. I am quite happy to hear the news that the Jin people in the south have also retreated to Pingyang, and now they have hit Xianbei again in the north, and they can be stable for half a year, right? This year's wind and rain are smooth, and most of the harvest after the autumn is more than enough, not only to supply the tens of thousands of troops stationed in the territory, but also to supply the party.

Who would have thought that before the dream was finished, Shi Hu immediately crashed into the door and said that I would preemptively attack and go south to attack Jin, Xiaozong, you hurry up and help prepare. He continued to persuade each other bitterly, saying that the autumn grain had not been harvested, the treasury was empty, and there was no way to go on an expedition. Shi Hu smiled: "I have newly seized tens of thousands of Xianbei cattle and sheep, rather than indulging in grazing in the territory, it is better to drive them south and use them as military food." ”

Xu Xian calculated it for a while, and said that it would be fine...... In that case, what else does the captain want me to prepare? Shi Hu said: "I don't have enough troops today, so I can issue an order, that is, I will be recruited for military service in the territory!" ”

In a word, it disturbed the hearts of the people who Xu Xian had managed to stabilize, and the conscription was not allowed, so the soldiers simply searched and arrested in the four townships, not only drove away tens of thousands of young and strong, completely delayed farming, but also suffered the most from it, which happened to be the anointed land near Jinyang, where Xu Xian spent the most effort to manage and rule...... Years of hard work have come to naught.

Xu Xiaozong even had the heart to hang up the crown at that time, but unfortunately he didn't dare to ...... He is a famous Confucian in the party, if he is really hard-headed, he will not vote easily. Therefore, I can only tremble under Shi Hu's obscenity, and pray silently to the sky every day, hoping that Taiwei will go south this time and win the flag, and then quickly return the young man of Jinyang to me...... Later, I heard that Shi Hu drove the peasants and laborers into battle in the mountain pass, laid corpses and filled the trenches, and used thin Jin to build a base, and continued to be angry and sad, and hid in the bed alone and cried for several days.

Then at this time, Chao Zan and Wang Xu came with Shi Hu's official document, asking him to raise more food and straw, and then send troops, Xu Xian could only complain to Chao Zan: "Where is there still surplus food and surplus soldiers available?" ”

What is the current situation in Taiyuan County, Chao Zan is naturally clear, but it is impossible for him to echo Xu Xian, otherwise he will inevitably get into trouble, and he will have to work with Xu Xiaozong to solve this almost unsolvable problem. Therefore, he just said to Xu Xian: "This is the business of the king, I really can't put a beak ......" As soon as the words came out, he also felt that he was too little of a friend, so he turned a little and asked tentatively: "I expect Tuoba to be defeated, or I dare not come again this autumn, why don't I ask General Liu (Liu Hu) to lead his troops south and reinforce Captain Shi?" ”

When Xu Xian heard this, he was slightly stunned, then he remembered and hurriedly asked: "I don't know where Taiwei is today, has he already taken Pingyang?" ”

Regarding the battle situation on the front line, Shi Hu did not mention anything in the official document. Of course, Wang Xu didn't dare to hide Chao Zan, but Chao Zan took care of him, don't tell the truth to the envoy Jun, don't scare the old gentleman......

Therefore, after hearing Xu Xian's question, Wang Xu said: "Taiwei Fang Po Yao Temple ......" This is actually true, Zhao Jun did attack Yao Temple at one time - "However, Pingyang has not yet been captured." The Jin people seem to have the potential to increase their troops, so they ordered me to return, and they asked for food and soldiers. "You can't lie too much, if you say that Pingyang has been captured, then there is no reason for you to ask for food again, theoretically you haven't even eaten up the cattle and sheep you brought with you, even if the Pingyang Mansion Treasury is empty, then there is no reason to reach out to Jinyang again."

He let out an "oh", as if he believed it or not. casually ignored Wang Xu, turned to Chao Zan, lowered his voice and said: "When it comes to General Yangqu Liu, we have to believe it, he seems to have the intention of rebellion and self-reliance, and he must not be guarded against......"

Xu Xiaozong said that Liu Hu has been in the capital since he returned, first Shi Hu, then Shi Sheng, and now Shi Hu, often take care of him, and ask him to secretly send people to Luchuan to incite the old clan to come to the east to take refuge, promising that all the iron and fertility will be under Liu Hu's control, and once the number reaches a certain scale, he will also play the heavenly king, just like Hu Han in the past, give Liu Hu the surname of the country, and make him a duke. But for such a long time, there were very few Tiefu who actually came to return.

Not long ago, news came that tens of thousands of Tiefu had left the Luchuan River and were driving cattle and sheep to Bingzhou......

When Chao Zan heard this, he just said: "This is a good thing...... Xu Xian interrupted him and asked: "However, in this matter, can General Liu pass on Chao Jun?" Xian also did not see its writing. ”

Chao Zan twisted his beard and speculated: "Or General Liu is afraid that things will be repeated, so he wants to wait for his people to enter the annexation state, and then write a letter to inform me to wait?" ”

Xu Xian sneered, and said that I heard another rumor-"Or General Yun Liu wants to summon Ju Tiefu, stand on his own according to Yangqu, and rely on Tuoba in the north to help, and he can resume his old business!" ”

This possibility, in fact, Chao Zan thought of it just now, but there is no evidence, so it is inconvenient to suspect the general. At this moment, he heard Xu Xian's words, and hurriedly asked: "Who does the envoy refer to by 'or'?" "Are you a reliable source? Xu Xian nodded, and immediately mentioned a name: "Guo Shengcai." ”

Guo Shengcai is Guo Yin, the patriarch of the Guo clan of Gaomen Yangqu in the world. However, since the death of Hui Di Jia's uncle Guo Zhang, his clan was gradually defeated, and when the soldiers seized the state, Guo Yin was forced to join forces with Guo Ao, and was forced to serve as the commander of Jinyang. In the Shisheng era, Guo Yin and Xu Xian supported each other, and they also made a lot of efforts to restore the livelihood of the people in the country, but then Shi Sheng collapsed, Shi Hu returned to Taiyuan, Guo Yin really couldn't stand the face of the little bastard, so he simply resigned and returned to his hometown.

In his original thought, since I am in alliance with Guo Ao, Shi Hu is also half of my son-in-law, so you should take care of me, at least you have to leave me three points of thin noodles, right? Who would have thought that Shi Hu had always been blind, and he didn't like Concubine Guo, so he almost beheaded Guo Rong's brothers, how could he give Guo Yin, an old horseman, a good look? Guo Yin's Jinyang order was really aggrieved, so he resigned.

——Guo Yin began to secretly contact the Jin side to reserve a retreat for the family, and it was only after his resignation that he finally made up his mind.

However, Shi Hu looked down on Guo Yin, and the scribes of the late Jin Dynasty such as Chao Zan and Wang Xu naturally had a three-point respect for the wealthy family in their bones; If the rumors are hearsay, or from the mouths of others, then it is okay, since it is Guo Yin's words, then ...... It's true!

Chao and Wang glanced at each other, each frightened - the most powerful armed force left in Bingzhou now is Liu Hu of Yangqu, with more than 1,000 Tiefu cavalry and 3,000 other miscellaneous horses, not to mention welcoming tens of thousands of Tiefu, even if he openly pulls the flag and rebels, these thousands of old and weak soldiers in Jinyang City are not opponents at all!

Chao Zannai said: "General Liu should no longer guard Yangqu, it is better to use the order of the Taiwei to transfer him to the south for reinforcements...... Wang Xu hurriedly waved his hand: "It's not proper!" Then analyzed: "If Liu Hu has no dissenting intentions, I am afraid that he will not respect the order of the envoy...... "I brought Shi Hu's official document, and only ordered Xian to recruit military service again and supplement the front-line army, I didn't say that Liu Hu was transferred, Liu Hu was ordered to guard Yangqu, he could completely ignore the order of the assassin -

"And if there is actually a different heart, not only will you refuse to obey your fate, but you will have doubts because of this, if you preempt its misdeeds, how to deal with it?"

Chao Zan frowned and said, "So what's good?" ”

Xu Xian took the opportunity to interject: "Xian's meaning, it's better for Chao Jun to pretend not to know, find an excuse, and ask him to come to Jinyang." Then when he arrives in Jinyang, he can inquire about the meaning of Tie Funan's coming, and if he has no dissenting intentions, he is willing to admit it; If he denies it, then his heart does not ask. When the time comes, it's all up to Chao Jun to plan......"

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The three of them discussed for a long time, and Chao Zan and Wang Xu resigned to make their own arrangements and preparations. Xu Xiaozong felt physically and mentally exhausted, and after leaving the official document and returning to the inner room, he secretly ordered the servants: "Please invite Uncle Yangrong to come." ”

The time was not big, Yang Yi and Uncle Rong quietly entered, continued to retreat from the people, closed the door, and talked with him alone. First of all, he told Yang Yi what had just happened, as well as his conversation with Chao Zan and Wang Xu, who twisted his beard and groaned slightly, and said: "If what happened is not bad, I am afraid that Shi Hu has been defeated." ”

Xu Xian nodded and said, "I am also suspicious of this matter, otherwise how can hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep be eaten up so quickly?" If the rations are sufficient, why should I send the king to supply me with grain again? And even if it is not defeated, if I want to lose the troops again, then Taiyuan, Shangdang, and Zhuangding are almost captured, even if they capture Pingyang, they can't resist the loss of Jinyang......"

Yang Yi Nai smiled and asked, "In this way, has the prince made a decision?" ”

Xu Xian sighed softly and said, "Shi Hu was furious, and Zhao actually regarded himself as a heavy general, and he was undefeated...... Xian is considered for the township and the people of the state, and he can only make this decision. I also hope that what Uncle Rong said the day before yesterday will come out of his heart, don't deceive me......"

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