The cold wind is howling, and the ground is full of wolves!

When the general who led the troops saw that Commander Ma and the others were all dead, he put away his knife and stood panting in the cold wind of hunting.

"Clean up all these corpses!" The general shouted.

After listening to the order, nearly 200 sergeants stepped forward like dragging dead dogs, dragging the bodies of Ma Commander and others to the side of the road, ready to dig a pit and bury them!

At this moment, the two soldiers who were in charge of the guard after the break rushed over and shouted to the leading general: "General, a group of people have caught up on the official road!" There are three or four hundred people! ”

The general's heart sank, and he asked in a deep voice, "Who is it?" ”

The soldier replied: "I didn't have a flag, and I couldn't see my face clearly. But they all brought weapons, and they looked like they were in a hurry, and the people who came were not good! ”

The general looked back at his subordinates, who were desperately dragging the corpses, knowing that it was too late, so he shouted in a deep voice: "Everyone makes up two knives, it's too late to bury it, let's withdraw!" ”

It could be seen that the sergeants under the generals were extremely disciplined and well-trained, and after hearing the words, they mended their swords, and as the general who led the troops quickly copied the trail, they disappeared into the vast snow.

Not long after they left, a team of black-clothed people appeared on the official road, and when they saw the corpses lying on the side of the road, Qian Ning, the leader of the team, changed his expression greatly, and hurriedly said: "Hurry up and see if there is any life!" ”

The black-clothed men under his command scattered in all directions, turning over a dozen people including Commander Ma.

"My lord, Commander Ma has found it!"

Hearing this, Qian Ning hurriedly ran over, squatted down to identify that the middle-aged man at his feet was indeed the commander of the Shaanxi Metropolitan Envoy, and there was no doubt that Master Ma hurriedly turned over. Reach out to reach for his snort.

His subordinates persuaded, "My lord, there is no need to try. Look! His men pointed to the horse and commanded three stab wounds on the neck and chest that pierced through the body. Under such a serious knife wound, Commander Ma is already too dead to die!

Channing's hands stiffened. His face changed, he put down his horse to command, and ran to check on the other officials who were in command, and after looking around, Qian Ning's heart sank to the bottom, and with it, there was an irrepressible chill.

Vicious! So ruthless! Seventeen officials of the Shaanxi Metropolitan Command Department who were escorted to the capital were escorted. All were killed, and none were spared! And, to make sure they die. Each person also made up two knives on their chests or backs!

"My lord, what should I do?" Seeing that Qian Ning's face was not good-looking, his subordinates asked in a low voice.

Qian Ning's expression was discouraged, and he said weakly: "Bring the corpses of these adults." Let's go back to Chang'an! ”

Outside the east gate of Chang'an City. The bodies of the 17 commanders were placed in two rows, and the Shaanxi officials, including Qian Yongtai, the political envoy of Shaanxi, and Deng Shuiqing, the envoy of the inspectorate, rushed to the gate of the city when they heard the news, and saw that their former colleagues, who had been fine two days ago, had now become cold corpses.

The city gate was surrounded by many people who were watching the excitement, and they were separated by the city defense sergeants. One after another, the families of the deceased who had rushed to the news arrived, found their families, and cried bitterly.

Qian Yongtai trembled with anger, and scolded with a trembling mouth: "Lawless! Wild! ”

According to the inspection, Deng Shuiqing listened. He moved his lips and finally sighed softly. Didn't say anything.

"The Governor has arrived!"

The two teams of Tsing Yi guards opened the way, and the official sedan chair of Xu Liang, the governor of Shaanxi, slowly passed through the city gate and fell. Xu Liang got down from the official sedan chair, walked to the two rows of corpses with a sad face, looked at them for a while, and was silent.

When the family members of the deceased saw the arrival of the governor, they knelt down in front of Xu Liang and wept bitterly: "The governor, my husband died so miserably, the governor wants to be the master of the people's wife!" ”

Xu Liang comforted in a deep voice: "Madam, please rest assured, this official will definitely find out!" Give you justice. With that, Xu Liang turned around and walked to Qian Yongtai and the others, stared at Deng Shuiqing, the envoy, and asked, "Lord Deng, what the hell is going on?" ”

Deng was slightly stunned by the envoy, and then said truthfully: "Half an hour ago, Xia Guande reported that a group of merchants found the corpses of Ma Commander and other seventeen people on the official road more than ten miles outside Chang'an City, and brought them back to Chang'an City. What happened specifically, the lower officials have ordered to take people to the place of the incident to verify according to the investigation of the matter. ”

Xu Liang nodded slowly, and said with a solemn expression: "This matter is a big matter, no matter what the result of the investigation is, it must be reported to the court immediately!" ”

Deng nodded and said embarrassedly: "It's just how to write it on the court's report, and ask the governor for advice." ”

Xu Liang raised his head and thought for a while, and said: "You write this: Commander Ma and other seventeen officials were killed by gangsters on the way to the capital, and the seventeen officials and the escorted sergeants all died!" Shaanxi Governor Yamen, Shaanxi Three Divisions are making every effort to investigate the case! ”

"Uh......" Deng choked and slowly arched his hand.

Shaanxi political envoy Qian Yongtai suppressed his anger at this time, snorted coldly, and interjected: "No, Lord Governor!" There were only seventeen corpses, all of which were taken into custody by the commanders and officials, and as for the two hundred sergeants escorted, there was not a single corpse to be seen! It's not appropriate for you to arbitrarily say that the sergeant escorted also died? ”

When Xu Liang heard this, he seemed to have been greatly insulted, stared at Qian Yongtai and said angrily: "How can Lord Qian talk like this!" The escort sergeant sent out by this officer has not returned so far! If it weren't for someone intercepting and killing, at least one or two would have escaped alive and come back to report the news! Now that no one has been seen, it can be seen that they have also been killed! ”

Qian Yongtai sneered and said, "What is the situation, it will naturally be revealed after the return of Lord He Zhun, who went to the scene of the incident to verify the matter!" Why don't you wait, Your Excellency! ”

Xu Liang puffed up his chest and said in a deep voice: "This official is the governor of Shaanxi, how to report it is the official's business!" Then he looked at Deng and said, "Lord Deng, you go to plan the fold now, and the official will report it immediately if there is no problem!" ”

“…… Be. Deng was helpless and bowed down.

"Humph!" Seeing this, Qian Yongtai angrily brushed his sleeves away. He made up his mind to rush back to the political envoy's yamen and report what happened outside Chang'an City to Yang He, the governor of the three sides, as soon as possible.

Xu Liang watched Qian Yongtai leave angrily and sneered. Turning his head towards Qi Chu, the prefect of Chang'an, he commanded: "Qi prefect's mansion!" ”

Qi Chu trembled violently in his heart when he heard this, and hurriedly respectfully bowed his hand and smiled: "The lower official is here." ”

Xu Liang looked at him deeply. He pointed to the family members of the officials who were crying bitterly next to the two rows of corpses, and said, "Commander Ma and other seventeen officials have suffered this great disaster, and the aftermath of this matter will be handed over to you." Commander Ma and others can also be regarded as sacrificing for the country. The bereavement pension that should be given should not be less. ”

Qi Chu lowered his head and said, "Xiaguan understands." ”

Xu Liang nodded slowly, looked at Qi Chu, and said meaningfully: "Lord Qi is a smart person, and this official is very optimistic about you." ”

Qi Zhifu shuddered again, wiped the cold sweat on his head and said, "Xiaguan...... Thank you, Your Excellency, for your love. ”

handed over the affairs outside Chang'an City to Qi Chu, the prefect of Chang'an. Xu Liang returned to the governor's yamen. He entered the door with his front foot, Wanwen Mountain, and Luo Baiguan followed into the governor's yamen with his back foot. The three of them entered the study. Luo Baiguan said worriedly: "My lord, will we be in a hurry when we do this?" ”

Xu Liang ordered people to start a fire, and put his two hands on the stove to warm up. glanced at Luo Baiguan. "What do you want to say?" ”

Luo Baiguan thought for a while, and said simply: "After all, Ma Jingyi and the other seventeen people are not low-grade court officials, and they died inexplicably as soon as they left Chang'an City!" No matter how you say this, it's too much like your hand. What does this make the adults in the court think of you? Will the emperor believe you again? ”

Xu Liang nodded, looked at Luo Baiguan with appreciation, and said, "Yes, Luo Baiguan, you now know how to judge the situation." ”

Luo Baiguan didn't care about humility, and said anxiously: "My subordinates are really worried about adults. At the beginning, your lord, you directly took Commander Ma and the others, and your subordinates were taken aback. Now I don't have to divide up the forces of the commanders. He also killed Commander Ma and others! This...... This has reached the court, my lord. You, the governor of Shaanxi who has just become the governor, will definitely not be guaranteed. I can't say that there will be a fatality! ”

Xu Liang listened, pondered for a long time, smiled at Luo Baiguan and Wan Wenshan, and said, "Your worries are very reasonable. I also know that when I first arrived in Shaanxi, I was in such a hurry to attack the commander of the capital before I had a firm foothold, which was a bit radical! It's just that, alas, I do this, and I also have my troubles! ”

Luo Baiguan and Wan Wenshan looked at Xu Liang with wide eyes.

Xu Liang sighed deeply and said helplessly: "When we left Beijing, we ruthlessly pitted the elder Wen Ge, and finally caused Wen Yan, the eldest son of the Wen family, to hang himself!" Alas, in this way, we and Wen Ge Lao's Liang Zi will never die! With Wen Tiren sitting in the cabinet, no matter how obedient and obedient I Xu Liang is, I can't escape Wen Ge Lao's revenge in the end. I, Xu Liang, am not the one who sits and waits to be killed! Everything I Xu Liang did today is for the sake of a future life! As long as I, Xu Liang, took root in Shaanxi before the court reacted, and had tens of thousands of troops in my hands, I would like to see who dares to touch me easily! From now on, the path that I Xu Liang will take will inevitably be different from before. Well, there's a word that aptly describes this path. ”

"What?" Luo Baiguan and Wan Wenshan looked stunned, and asked eatingly.

Xu Liang looked at the two of them and slowly spit out four words: "The road of warlords!" ”

"Warlord Path?" Luo Baiguan repeated, and then asked blankly, "What kind of road should that be?" ”

Xu Liang smiled dumbly, thought for a while, and said, "Do you know the Fu King of Shudi?" ”

Wan Wenshan still shook his head, but Luo Baiguan knew something, so he nodded and said, "King Fu's subordinates know, I heard that he is the richest vassal king of our Ming Dynasty. ”

Xu Liang smiled, with a confident look on his face, and said: "The path I will take in the future will be similar to King Fu, but it will be stronger than King Fu and dominate the side!" ”

Luo Baiguan and Wan Wenshan looked at each other, Luo Baiguan was still stunned, Wan Wenshan pushed him, and said to Xu Liang with great reverence: "No matter what path the adults take, the last general will swear to follow the adults to the death!" ”

Luo Baiguan came to his senses, and then arched his hand: "And me, so am I!" Follow the adults, go up the knife mountain and down the sea of fire, let's not even blink your eyes! ”

Xu Liang laughed, patted the two of them on the back and said, "Your loyalty, I, Xu Liang, know the drop!" Well, Commander Ma is dead, in order to prevent accidents, the defense of Chang'an City should be strengthened a while ago, so as not to take advantage of the loopholes for those who have a heart. ”

Wan Wenshan immediately patted his chest and promised: "Don't worry, my lord, the last general will go to arrange defense!" After that, Wanwen Shan was entangled and strode away.

Xu Liang said to Luo Baiguan again: "The raising of military rations, I have already told Qian Yongtai last time, but I think that old boy may not be willing to buy my account, Luo Baiguan, you take the warrant of this governor, take people to the states and counties in Chang'an Mansion, and collect military rations one by one!" When you encounter those who refuse to cooperate, you are not in a hurry to move, just write down your name. I'll clean them up after the year! ”

Luo Baiguan naturally understood what Xu Liang meant by settling accounts after the autumn, and he chuckled and went out to do errands.

After the two loyal subordinates left, Xu Liang looked at the map of Shaanxi hanging on the wall of the study, twisted his eyebrows and thought: From Shaanxi to the capital, it will take half a month to go back and forth at the earliest. If you add the factor that it is about to be the New Year, the court will learn of Commander Ma's death, and then react to hold Xu Liang responsible, and if it is delayed for a while, it is very likely that it will not take action until a month later. In other words, there is less than a month left for himself to develop his power. The number of conscripts in Chang'an City has reached 30,000, and the Pingliang guerrilla general Luo Rucai is also recruiting a large number of troops according to his own orders.

In this way, Chang'an is guarded by Xu Liang himself and the 30,000 troops of Wanwen Mountain, Pingliang is guarded by Lu Yifa and Luo Rucai, Hanzhong Mansion has He Huchen, and Qingyang Mansion has He Renlong, and most of Shaanxi's territory is under his control!

Xu Liang thought about it, his eyes fell on a place on the map, and he pondered: Shan Yuxiong, the original prefect of Gongchang Mansion, has been killed by the people's army, if Gongchang Mansion is in his hands again, then Qingyang, Pingliang, Gongchang, Hanzhong, and Xi'an will be encircled, and no one can shake it.

Xu Liang pondered for a moment, then sat down at the desk, spread paper and ink, and wrote a pen: "The imperial history of the minister's left vice-capital, Xu Liang, the governor of Shaanxi, played my emperor: the prefect of Gongchang has been empty for a long time, and all government affairs have been paralyzed, and the minister has the courage to recommend Lu Chengyuan, the governor of Guyuan, as the prefect of Gongchang, to quell the chaos and calm the people, and contribute to the country......"

It took half an hour for Xu Liang to put down his pen, look at the piece he had written, and couldn't help but say in distress: "It's really a chore to write with a brush!" If only Rou'er were around......"

Xu Liang was shaking his head and sighing at the two pages of crooked handwriting he had written, when he suddenly saw Tietou walk in and arched his hand towards Xu Liang: "Young master, Yang He, the governor of the three sides, has sent someone to pass the order." ”

When Xu Liang heard this, he put down the recital, went out of the study and came to the governor's hall, and saw a sergeant with a proud expression standing in the hall.

When the sergeant saw Xu Liang, he bowed slightly, which was regarded as a salute, and then took out a warrant from his bosom and said to Xu Liang in a deep voice: "Shaanxi Governor Xu Liang listens to the order: You are limited to arrive at the Yamen of the Governor of Guyuan Prefecture before the twenty-fifth day of the lunar month!" Governor Yang has instructions! ”

Xu Liang glanced at the sergeant lightly, nodded, and said, "Well, this officer knows." ”

The sergeant held the warrant of Governor Yang, and when he saw that Xu Liang did not mean to take the warrant, his face was a little annoyed, and he glared at Xu Liang and said, "Lord Xu, you should take the order." ”

Xu Liang glanced at the coffee table beside the sergeant, pouted, and said, "You can put it on the coffee table." (To be continued.) )