With Wei Zheng's erudition and knowledge, Ruan Ji's spicy article comparing the family to "lice in the crotch" is certainly familiar. But now, he couldn't laugh at all. Yuan Baobao said it well, those lice only care if they can drink a mouthful of blood at the moment, and they don't care whether the crotch of Wuyang County, where they are hiding, is broken. Even if the crotch of Wuyang County is torn, the "lice" can go to the chests and armpits of Luoyang and Beijing, as long as the master of the Great Sui Dynasty is not completely sucked dry, those guys can sit back and relax. And he and his proprietor Yuan Treasure are destined to survive and destroy together with Wuyang County.

For a moment, both the guest and the host lost interest in talking. Standing at the window silently looking at the night outside. The weather outside was not too hot, the rain that had been brewing for several days did not fall, and lightning continued to appear in the inky sky, and after a light on, the night sky seemed darker and darker, so black that people could not breathe, and it was so black that people were desperate.

After counting the electric lights for a while, Yuan Baobao sighed and asked faintly: "Xuan Cheng, do you think that Yuan, the county guard, is very deserved?" ”

"Dong Weng, you are conscientious and honest, which is really rare in the world!" Wei Zheng couldn't bear to scold Yuan Bao for being mediocre and confused, and he didn't like to say things against his will, so he had to look for the other party's advantages from a different angle.

Yuan Baobao smiled bitterly and shook his head, "I will also be able to be a clean official." It won't leave a good reputation, and it won't leave a bad reputation! Stretching out his hand and wiping the corners of his eyes that were wet with a smile, he continued: "But if I say that if the first emperor is on the throne, I will definitely become the pillar of the country, Xuancheng, do you believe this?" ”

Wei Zheng was just in his early thirties, and he had a very weak impression of Yang Jian, the founding emperor of the Great Sui Dynasty, so he didn't quite understand the emotion of Yuan Baobao. As a confidant, he couldn't make matters worse when the proprietor was depressed, so he smiled and responded in a low voice: "Dong Weng has a furrow in his chest, but he is tied by luck, and many ambitions cannot be displayed!" You don't have to sigh, get through this time, maybe Dong Weng will be able to borrow the wind and thunder, and the clouds will rise! ”

"It's not luck, it's people!" Yuan Baobao continued to shake his head, as if his stomach was full of sadness and was hooked by the lightning outside, "Xuan Cheng's talent is ten times higher than mine, if he has a chance to show it in the future, remember to follow the right person." Hey, it's hard to be a minister! When the time comes, it may not be the master. Winning the master may not be the right time. The most helpless thing is that at that time, its master was unavailable, but he occupied the position of a good person. Yuan asked himself if he was a material for the people, if the first emperor had been alive, he would be able to benefit one party and let the people under his rule live and work in peace and contentment. The merits reached the ears of the first emperor, and with his diligent and thrifty nature of loving the people, he would not let Yuan work in vain. It's a pity, alas! It's a pity ......"

He didn't have to say what it was a pity, Wei Zheng was already able to guess it and thought it was true. If it is only evaluated from the aspect of civil affairs, Wuyang County Shouyuan Treasure can indeed be regarded as a good official who is diligent in his duties and honest in his official duties. In addition, he has always been very timid, so he will not be reckless in any big projects that cost the people and money. It is in line with the saying of the ancients, 'If you do nothing, the people will be at peace.' ’

But the current world has turned from rule to chaos, and it is difficult for Yuan Baobao, a minister who keeps his success, to adapt to the changes in the world. Neither has the ability to deal with the thieves who come from across the border, but also does not have the courage to speak out about the evils of the times, and call the emperor and the princes in power in the court to wake up. Therefore, he sighed that he was born at the wrong time, and he did not know his master, and he sighed reasonably.

It's just that the situation outside doesn't matter what the parties are embarrassed about, no matter how reasonable the Yuan Treasure sighs, he can't get the "understanding" of the rogues. Seven days later, the rainstorm began to clear, and the bad news also spread to Wuyang County. Taking advantage of the rain and strong wind, the Zhangshui swelled and blocked the road, the bandits Cheng Mingzhen, Wang Ermao, Hao Laodao, Du Scar, Wang Mazi and others joined forces to break through Jingcheng County, which is a subordinate of Qinghe County and is located on the west bank of Zhangshui. When the reinforcements arrived with Yang Jishan of Qinghe County, the bandits had already scavenged the grain in Jingcheng County and left.

Yang Jishan couldn't catch up, and he couldn't afford to go deep into Juluze alone to destroy the Liukou nest**, so he had to go back. Almost before and after he crossed the Zhangshui, Cheng Mingzhen appeared in Qingzhang County, which had been abandoned by the government, under the banner of Zhang Jincheng, and hung his division there for several days. Frightened, all parts of Wuyang County, which was only separated from the clearance of Zhangshui, were shocked three times a day, and the government did not dare to open the city gate in broad daylight.

Without the gates, goods could not reach the city, and the crops that were about to be harvested near the outskirts of the city were dying because of the lack of people to take care of them. Yuan Baobao was forced to have no choice, so he had to call his henchman Wei Zheng to ask for a plan. The two guests and hosts discussed from the afternoon until night, repeatedly considering the upper, middle and lower strategies proposed by Wei Zheng earlier. In the end, it was finally decided to discount the conditions of the middle strategy and try to see if it could work.

"Xuan Cheng wrote a letter to him on my behalf, saying that I knew what he had been wronged and had ordered someone to impeach Lin Deen and force him to be a thief. Within half a month, the reply of the imperial court will come down. If he is willing to abandon the darkness and turn to the light, the position of the cavalry lieutenant of Wuyang County will be treated in vain. In the future, if he has merit, he can also give his own fold to the court and defend his father with his own hands! Yuan Baobao still didn't have the courage to touch the old case of Gao Ying's rebellion, but he personally promised Wei Zheng that if Cheng Mingzhen was willing to lead his troops to surrender, he could guarantee that Cheng Mingzhen would be recommended as the lieutenant of the county soldiers, and through his own connections, Cheng Mingzhen's intercession for his father would go straight to heaven. As for when this promise will be fulfilled, and the specific details of the fulfillment, according to the practice of the Great Sui officialdom, of course, it varies from person to person.

Wei Zheng understood that the proprietor had the mind of fooling if he could, and getting by, and he didn't break it down. nodded, and said in a deep voice: "Cheng Thief knows Yang Juncheng's movements well, and he must have been widely heard in the surrounding counties of Juluze. Dong Weng's letter is not worried that it will not be delivered to him. The subordinates thought that we might as well add a few more words to the letter, asking him to tell the thieves of Juluze that everyone, including Zhang Jincheng, could accept Zhao'an. Once the weapon is laid down, the past sins and karma are written off. And the county may also confer such official positions as it deems appropriate according to the talents of each of them! ”

In the name of Zhang Jin, whether he can be pardoned after surrendering is beyond the scope that Yuan Bao can decide. But Yuan Bao thought about it and nodded in agreement. "It's okay, at least this can shake the thief's military heart. The thief was deeply guilty and must have been unwilling to turn back. But Cheng Thief has just joined the gang, and his foundation and mind are not necessarily stable. If he and Zhang Thief have a disagreement, hum ......"

Wei Zheng originally had no hope that Cheng Mingzhen would be persuaded to surrender by a letter from himself, so he used this method to divide the idea of the thieves. The second half of the Yuan Treasure idea hit it off with him, and the guests and hosts looked at each other and smiled. How to write, how to appear sincere and confident, discussed with each other, and a letter of persuasion was soon released.

Wei Zheng found someone to transcribe a few copies of the letter and handed it to the Yuan Treasure to stamp the official seal. Then he personally led his subordinates to go on a trip to the pavilion, and when he saw those who still remembered Cheng Mingzhen's benefits, regardless of whether the other party was Juluze's fine work, he stuffed the letter into his hand and ordered him to deliver the letter to the destination no matter what method he took.

"Wei, Uncle Wei, we have nothing to do with the thieves!" I didn't expect to praise people and boast of disasters, and several idlers in Guantao County cried and confessed with sad faces. Now they finally recognize that the stinky Taoist priest who held the hexagram flag to tell everyone's fortune a few days ago was not a passing immortal at all, but the first celebrity in front of the guards of Wuyang County, the county master Wei Zheng!

"What's so hard about sending a letter. Can't you wait to say that General Cheng is kind to you? He is now stationed in Qingzhang County, since you are the same township as him, what are you afraid of when you send a letter to the past, and you won't lose your head? The first time he put on a straight face and bullied the good, Wei Zheng couldn't bear it, "Besides, there is no malice in this letter to him, there are two pieces of money here, you are willing to send the letter, although it is divided." If you don't want to go, you will go with me to repeat what you said that day in front of the county guard! ”

If you don't get directly arrested and go to sit together, everyone is already thankful, how dare you be an eyesore in front of the county guard? A few guys who bragged about being drenched in cow dung looked at each other, so they had to divide the copper coins and each went to Cheng Mingzhen with a letter.

It is also the luck of everyone that Cheng Mingzhen has recently led more than 3,000 minions who have met the initial training requirements to be stationed in Qingzhang, and he is not in a hurry to avoid the government's requisition. After completing several letters in one go, he rewarded each person with a silver bean, and then he asked the messenger to wait for a long time, so that he could bring his reply to Wei Zheng when he returned.

"You don't really want to accept Zhao'an, do you?!" Seeing that Cheng Mingzhen was respectful to the messenger, Wang Ermao stepped forward and asked with a frown. Izusawa has been fighting for a few months, and his size has grown up again. The height is already about the same as that of teenagers of the same age, but the width is two arms wider than that of his peers because of the foundation laid by carrying a big bag back then.

"Since people have made a move, we can't lose our politeness!" Cheng Mingzhen smiled, sealed Wei Zheng's letter, and handed it to Wang Ermao, "You go back to Juluze quickly and send all the letters to Zhang Da's family." By the way, I would like to ask the big boss, when will I be able to build my new house for my parents? ”

"This?" Wang Ermao didn't understand what Cheng Mingzhen meant, so he took the letter in a hurry, and it was awkward to leave, and it was awkward to continue to stay.

"Go and see your Miss Zhou!" Cheng Mingzhen knocked on Wang Ermao's head, laughing and quipping. "Don't forget to bring the gift you prepared for her. Then hurry up and get back to me, and we'll have a tough battle to fight in no time. ”

"Well, alas!" Wang Ermao finally guessed Cheng Mingzhen's decision, was relieved, and ran away with a smile. Cheng Mingzhen shook his head at his back, sighed again, and slowly paced back to his bookcase.

Spreading out the paper, he began to reply to Wei Zheng. Thank the other party for looking up to himself, and thank the other party for taking a lot of effort to find out the grievances he suffered. These favors are engraved in his heart, and sooner or later he will find an opportunity to repay them.

As for the matter of Zhao'an, as well as the official position promised by Yuan Baobao, Cheng Mingzhen did not mention anything in the letter. According to the specifications of Wuyang County, the county guards the four products, and the riding captain is from the fifth rank. The position has passed the Guantao County Order. This used to be the beauty difference he dreamed of a year ago, but now, he doesn't need it anymore.

He didn't even break it, according to the law of the Great Sui, the county guard of Wuyang County had no power to intervene in the armament, and he could not give anyone the position of lieutenant at all.

Sometimes it's a good thing to be a fool in front of smart people.