After receiving the news of the defeat of Li Daozong, the prince of Luoyang County, Cheng Mingzhen was also taken aback. He had previously hoped that after Li Yuan received his good news, he would immediately send some reinforcements over to hold Wei County firmly. Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, the situation took a sharp turn. Li Daozong, who led 40,000 soldiers, was beaten by Dou Jiande, and was defeated from Liaocheng to Fanshui, and with the secret support of Xu Maogong, a heroic man in Wagang, he barely gathered his soldiers and horses, and stood firm with his back to the canal.

Helpless, he had no choice but to take the initiative to attack and march east to meet the defeat of the remnants of Li Daozong's army. Fortunately, the enemy who pursued and killed Li Daozong was his old acquaintance Shi Zhan, who knew that the Zhaozhou camp was a difficult bone to gnaw, and put a random arrow for a while, so the family returned to Dou Jiande to pay the order.

Li Daozong, who was seriously injured, was overjoyed, grabbed Cheng Mingzhen's arm and couldn't stop saying thank you. Before the two of them finished their polite exchange, they followed suit, and there was new bad news from the direction of Liaocheng. After defeating Li Daozong, the main force of Dou Jiande's troops immediately turned around and attacked Liaocheng. The undercover Wang Bo, who pretended to surrender to Yu Wenhua in advance, defected before the battle and sacrificed the south gate of Liaocheng. The Dou family's army immediately drove straight in, beheading more than 20 generals such as Sima Dekan. Capture Yu culture and the whole family. The former Empress Xiao of the Great Sui Dynasty, Princess Nanyang, Princess Huyang, and a number of royal nobles and trusted ministers were "rescued" and treated as guests.

After the remnants of the enemy army in Liaocheng were wiped out, in front of Empress Xiao and the widows of the Yang family, Dou Jiande killed Yu Wenhua and more than 160 people of the whole family, and took out the hearts and livers of Yu Wenhua and Yu Wenzhi and the two brothers, as well as several generals who took the lead in rebellion in the east of the day, to sacrifice Yang Guang. Crying and weeping, choking and fainting.

Yang Guang's original wife, the former queen Xiao was very moved, and personally came out to help Dou Jiande, and as the queen of the Great Sui, she named Dou Jiande as the king of Xia, the prime minister, and the great Situ. And took the initiative to come forward, and more than 40 pieces of the jade seal and the large and small seals of the heirloom country were identified from the relics of Yu Wenhua and dedicated to the Great Xia Kingdom.

The old Sui Chongchen, Pei Ju, Yu Shinan, Su Shichang and others were originally high-ranking officials under Yu Wenhua and his command, but at this moment, Yu Wenhua and a fall, and was immediately accepted by Dou Jiande, respectively, as the right servant of the Shangshu of the Great Xia Kingdom, the secretary Ling and the servant of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. In the blink of an eye, it soared again.

The Great Xia Kingdom originally had a set of rules and regulations that had been explored, but because the status and insight of the drafters were unsatisfactory, it was slightly vulgar. A few days after Pei Ju returned to the Great Xia Kingdom, he immediately found out dozens of loopholes in this system, and proposed improvement methods one by one with reference to the decree of the Great Sui. Dou Jiande discussed with him late at night, and he was in a good mood, and came out and said to the left and right: "I got Pei Qing today, just like the former Han Zhaolie's Zhuge Wuhou, far and near are worry-free!" ”

These words naturally made Song Zhengben, Kong Dezhao, Zhang Jingsu and others very uncomfortable. But Pei Ju, Yu Shinan, and Su Shichang were far above them when they were in the Great Sui, and they all had a prominent family behind them. The resentment in his belly could only turn into a sigh.

This series of earth-shaking changes has long been transmitted to Wei County through the hands of fine work.6 After Cheng Mingzhen saw it, he couldn't help but shake his head, "Dou Jiande is getting more and more confused, if the previous dynasty works, will the previous dynasty end up like this?" It's not that he hasn't suffered from the previous dynasty, hehe, this person, once the position changes, the scar is actually healed and the pain is forgotten! ”

"Wouldn't that be better? The surname Pei Ju assisted Yang Guang, Yang Guang died, assisted Yu Culture and, Yu Culture and died. Now that Dou Jiande has made him his right servant again, won't he die in the hands of others soon? ”

"You'd better figure out how we're going to survive!" Cheng Mingzhen was amused by Wang Ermao's inference and laughed. "The surname Pei is the right servant of the Great Xia Kingdom, and he must have some practical credit for Dou Jiande. I estimate that the biggest possibility is to plan for Dou Jiande how to recover Wei County! ”

"Didn't the emperor decree that you and Li Daozong should withdraw their troops together?" Wang Ermao shook his head, not caring. "Let's withdraw to the west of Taihang Mountain, can he still dare to chase after him?"

"Don't dare to chase after Taihang Mountain. But whether we can withdraw safely or not is another matter! Cheng Mingzhen continued to shake his head. The imperial court issued another decree, preparing to empty the entire Wei County, so that Dou Jiande would not be able to get anything. ”

"Move the people away?" Wang Ermao was stunned when he heard this, and asked with a frown. "That's a million people, the people in front have all gone to the party, and I'm afraid the last people haven't left the house yet."

"Who's to say it isn't!" Cheng Mingzhen shook his head helplessly. Dou Jiande's Great Xia Kingdom and Li Yuan's Great Tang Kingdom were incompatible, so before the Tang army withdrew, it was necessary to destroy the production of Wei County as much as possible, so as to achieve the goal of weakening Dou Jiande's strength. However, if all the people were moved to Hedong, it would be a bit excessive. Not to mention the question of how so many people will survive after arriving in Hedong, the escort along the way alone is enough to drag down the three armies.

During the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei retreated with the people, and only walked more than 20 miles a day. In less than three days, Cao Cao caught up from behind, not only losing all the people, but also losing thousands of elites. Now that the people of Wei County are leaving their hometowns, they must be walking more slowly. According to the latest arrangement of the imperial court, the Zhaozhou battalion is responsible for breaking the queen for everyone. If the Dou family's army followed, where would everyone have the opportunity to withdraw into the mountains in time?

"You didn't complain to Your Majesty? Ask him to withdraw his fate? Wang Ermao frowned and said in a deep voice.

"What's too late?" Cheng Mingzhen's face was full of sadness, and he responded worriedly.

While he was talking, the soldiers entered the interior to report that Koji Taishou and Cui Changshi had come to visit and asked if the adults were free. Cheng Mingzhen was annoyed in his heart, frowned, and scolded in a low voice, "Don't you see that I'm busy?" Let them come back another day! ”

"Wait!" Wang Ermao's eyes suddenly lit up, and he smiled and said to stop him, "It's not bad to see them, these two are local snakes, well-informed, and have a solid family background!" ”

Hearing Wang Ermao say this, Cheng Mingzhen also faintly appeared in his heart. Nodding his head, he commanded in a low voice, "Invite them to the second hall." By the way, let the kitchen prepare some good tea. You can't be too lazy in entertaining these two people! ”

The guards agreed and hurriedly retreated. Cheng Mingzhen and Wang Ermao looked at each other secretly, and walked to the second hall of the yamen where the daily guests were located. A moment later, the two local snakes, Koji Liang and Cui Shang, were introduced, and the guards served tea, silently retreated, and closed the door tightly.

"Two generals, help!" Seeing that there were no outsiders around, Koji Liang and Cui Shang lifted their robes and knelt down in unison with a "plop".

Cheng Mingzhen glanced at Wang Ermao, and took him forward to stretch out his hand. He said loudly, "What are you two doing here?" You are also an official of Datang now, and your level is higher than that of our two brothers. Kneeling down for us, isn't it sincere to let Youji trouble us? ”

"If General Cheng doesn't help, the old man will kneel and die here today!" Koji Liang pushed Cheng Mingzhen's hand away, crying and swearing a curse. Because of his meritorious contribution to the Tang Dynasty, he has now become the Wei County Taishou of the Tang Dynasty, and his official position has not been reduced at all. In addition, he also got a loose job as a doctor Zuo Guanglu. His son-in-law Cui Shang also rose with the tide, and was promoted from a long history to Wei Juncheng, becoming the second person in the local official position after Koji Liang.

It's just that at this moment, the pair of Weng sons-in-law can't see the slightest bit of official bearing, lying on the ground, snorting and tears, "If General Cheng and General Wang are righteous and helpful, this great kindness and virtue will not dare to be forgotten by Wei County in this life!" ”

"What the hell is going on here? If you want me to help, you have to tell me what it is, right? Cheng Mingzhen was angry and funny, so he simply took a few steps back and picked up the tea to see how the other party performed.

"When the general raises his hand, it is tens of thousands of lives. Isn't it clear to the general? Koji Liang snorted a handful of snot and tears, crying so well that he was not sad.

"I don't have that ability!" Cheng Mingzhen shook his head with a smile. "Tens of thousands of people have been tied up and cut down by my brothers for ten days and a half months. Besides, I've already released all those captives that day, where can I find tens of thousands of damned ones? ”

Hearing that Cheng Mingzhen always refused to pick up his stubble, Ko Liang turned his heart sideways, wiped his tears, and asked loudly: "Could it be that General Fei hasn't received the will of the imperial court to relocate the people?" Not to mention tens of thousands, nearly a million people in Wei County are now looking at you with their eyes! ”

"Am I old?" Cheng Mingzhen shook his head and smiled bitterly, "My old man also just got the news." Koji-sama has such a good ear, and he actually heard the news from me so quickly! ”

Koji Liang was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly defended, "No, no, the general misunderstood." Koji has his own source. Seeing that Cheng Mingzhen had obvious suspicion on his face, he thought for a while and continued to add: "Koji, Koji turned out to be some colleagues who defected to Datang in time. Between each other, I still remember some of the old feelings of the year! The general is a military aircraft here, and he has the courage to give Koji three guts, and he doesn't dare to ask people for news! ”

"Oh!" Cheng Mingzhen smiled and nodded, "You keep saying that, I kind of understand." I feel that you are always difficult to leave your homeland, so I am willing to wait for Dou Jiande to come back and hold you accountable for the loss of your old teacher. Death is also going to die at your own doorstep, right? ”

"General, don't play tricks on the old man!" Koji Ryoshi smiled wryly as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "The old man is now an official of Datang, so he naturally wants to be loyal to Datang to the end. It's just that the old man still has some relatives and friends here, and it is difficult to leave his homeland for a while......"

Without waiting for him to tell the lie, Cheng Mingzhen turned his head and asked Cui Shang: "What about Cui Juncheng, are you still waiting to dedicate the mansion to Dou Jiande again after I leave?" Take over to be Dou Jiande's official? ”

Cui Shang actually had this plan in his heart, but unfortunately Cheng Mingzhen said it, and his old face became red, and he smiled and explained: "No, no, it depends on what you say." I'm definitely going to go with the adults. It's just that the Cui family has also been exhibiting in Wei County for many years, with more than 20,000 people up and down. I went to the other side of the mountain, I didn't have to eat, and I didn't have to wear ......."

"You don't have to worry about that. The Duke of Luoyang has agreed to allocate some military rations for emergencies! Wang Ermao suddenly interjected, hiding a knife in his smile.

"Lord Wang, General Wang, my Uncle Wang!" As soon as Cui Shang was in a hurry, he immediately couldn't figure out the seniority. "The people of the Cui family can go, but the land can't be taken away. On this side he is a landlord, but on that side he has to reopen the wasteland. In the whole clan, there are not a few people like me who do not divide the grain, and when the time comes, will they all starve to death? ”

"It's not like that, farming is very simple, and you can learn it." Wang Ermao smiled**, "Aren't you scholars exquisite, picking chrysanthemums under the east fence, and seeing Nanshan quietly?" There are many mountains on the side of Shangdang, and the West Mountain, North Mountain, and East Mountain are all visible, which is much stronger than just seeing a South Mountain! ”

"General Wang, I'll tell you the truth. This man is gone, and the land must have gone to another house. In the future, even if our Datang fights back, the land will not be mine. More than 200,000 acres of land, how many lifetimes can you earn it back! ”

"Your Qinghe Cui family, isn't there someone who is also on an errand under Dou Jiande? Wouldn't it be okay to ask them to take care of it secretly? "Wang Ermao doesn't know how to pretend to understand, and sincerely adds to the chaos.

"In a family, there are also strong and weak branches. The Cui family of Qinghe and the Cui family of Weijun are indeed in the same vein. But the brothers still have to settle accounts, they can usually take care of each other, hundreds of thousands of acres of land are handed over, it must be meat buns and dogs, and they will come back! ”

"So, Lord Cui is reluctant to give up his family property?" Cheng Mingzhen saw that the heat was almost over, and asked with a smile.

"Exactly, please General Cheng for mercy. In the future, the Cui family will be rewarded! Cui Shang couldn't hide it, so he simply nodded and admitted.

"What about Koji-sama, the same?" Cheng Mingzhen turned his head to Koji Liang again, and asked with a smile.

"Yes, yes, please do the old man this favor!" Koji Liang knelt up straight, groped and took out two land deeds from his sleeves, "These two thin gifts, even if they are hard-earned money for the two generals." Koji didn't dare to say please, after the matter was completed, Wei County would inevitably have another thanks! ”

"It's useless for me to take him! Besides, this is all the land of Wei County! "Cheng Mingzhen pushed the title deed away and didn't look at it." Boss, get up, Cui Juncheng, please get up too. You are now an official of my Datang, and you can't break your own value. Regarding the migration, the emperor let the Duke of Luoyang call the shots. I can only come up with ideas for him. If you two can trust me, you might as well sit down and let's work on a charter together. lest this move make too much noise and affect Datang's reputation! ”

"Thank you, General. Thank you, General! Koji Liang and Cui Shang kowtowed and slowly stood up. These two land deeds are not from Wei County. In Boling County, there is also the Cui family's land. If the two generals did not like to deal in the land, they could change the deed of another business. In Hanoi and Jingshi, the Cui family also has some industries! ”

"Put it away. Rest assured, to do this well, there is no need to spend money. When needed, Cheng will naturally ask for you. Cheng Mingzhen frowned and ordered in a low voice.

"It's all in ......" Cui Shang patted his chest and wanted to take it all in. Thinking about it, the general in front of him was a good person, and two days ago, he lightly ordered a labor order, and cut off three pieces of flesh on his waist. If he really wants to open his mouth, the Cui family may have to sell the house and land. So he grinned and added with a sneer: "It's all wrapped up, wrapped in a few of our big families in Wei County." No matter how much it costs to make up and down dots, we share the responsibility. As long as General Cheng is willing to show mercy to his subordinates......."

"I'll be merciful, Tang Imperial Court, who will show me mercy?" Cheng Mingzhen sighed and said quietly.