Early in the morning, when Director He walked into the county office, he felt that the atmosphere in the county office today was very different from usual. When I walked into the second hall of the county government, I figured out the source of this atmosphere.

The guards in the county government have increased a lot, especially in the backyard of the second hall, where Lord Xu and his family live is even more heavily guarded, four guards with knives guard the arch leading to the backyard, and a county government official recklessly wanted to enter, but was stopped by the guards.

Isn't there something going on in the county office? He Cheng entered the second hall of the county government with such questions, and the young county lord Xu was talking with a general of the inspection department who was born in person.

"This official has asked Huang Patrol to draw out some manpower under your command, and you can find a way to recruit the insufficient part outside the city, but you can't draw manpower to repair the city." Xu Liang said.

"Yes, my subordinates understand." The new inspection department responded to the general Wan Wenshan, nodded to Director He, who was approaching, turned around and strode out.

"My lord," He Cheng shouted respectfully, standing five steps away from Xu Liang.

"He Cheng, you came just in time." Xu Liang said: "How is the situation of repairing the city outside the city?" ”

"The subordinates came to report this." He Cheng said: "At present, the people of Zhenyuan are united and work together to repair this city, the north and south gates have been heightened, and the moat has been dug on three sides, leaving an unfinished section in the east. ”

"How long is that section to the east?"

"It's estimated to be five or six miles long."

"Well, good job." Xu Liang sighed: "It can be seen that there is nothing difficult in the matter, but I am afraid of people with hearts." It is really commendable that such a huge project can be completed in just six days. ”

"Yes." He Cheng echoed, thought about it and said carefully: "It's just that the subordinates have heard some remarks from the people in private, and some people have complained about the adults' practices. ”

"Oh, let's hear it." Xu Liang asked with interest.

"Ahem, that day, the Lord ordered the Inspection Department to come to the door to get people, and if there was a slight resistance, they would be killed on the spot, and some people who had lost their relatives were very angry, and their subordinates accidentally heard that someone wanted to assassinate the Lord." He said, "Adults should be careful these days. ”

Xu Liang was silent for a moment, and sighed at He Cheng: "He Cheng, in the future, you have to remember the words of this official, and if you are determined to do something, there will inevitably be people who oppose it, and this is the truth that is difficult to reconcile." I heard a sentence back then, and I am still deeply impressed, so I will give it to you today. ”

"My subordinates are listening." He Cheng arched his hand.

"This sentence is called 'the individual obeys the collective, the minority obeys the majority, and the small situation obeys the overall situation'! At present, the entire Zhenyuan City is building a city to defend against thieves, which is the overall situation. All of them must start from this overall situation. What this official has done in the past few days, whether it is forcibly conscripting the people, forcibly borrowing rice and grain, and even demolishing the other courtyard of Lord Han, this is for the sake of this overall situation. Some people don't understand, don't agree, stubbornly act against the overall situation, and that's our common enemy. ”

When Xu Liang said this, his tone changed to fierce, and he said: "When dealing with the enemy, this official has never been merciful!" ”

He Cheng listened stunned, suddenly faced Xu Liang, and solemnly bowed: "The teachings of the adults, the subordinates have been taught!" ”

Xu Liang smiled, waved his hand and said, "Okay, don't be sour, I'll just say it." Let's go, go up to the east of the city with the official and take a look. ”

At this time, the moat had been dug on three sides of the castle and had been filled with water, and the moat soon became a moat. Under the deployment of Huang Xiancheng, more than 3,000 people have all gathered in the east of the city to excavate the last section.

Xu Liang took Director He all the way, and the people along the way kept greeting Xu Liang. When they came to the section where they were being excavated, along the foot of the city wall on the east side of the city, more than 3,000 people spread out, and the hoes were waved one after another.

Xu Liang stood and watched for a while, and after a while, sweat soaked his back. Just as he was about to turn to leave, two men carrying a basket of dirt passed by not far from him, and some of the fine sand fell to the ground as the two walked around.

Xu Liang took two steps back, wanting the two to go first.

Xing was a little nervous, and the smile that the two men carrying the basket squeezed out at Xu Liang looked far-fetched. Xu Liang was about to open his mouth to comfort a few words, and shouted coquettishly, "Xu Liang be careful!" Immediately, a yellow shadow jumped out from behind Xu Liang, and the long knife in his hand brought the sound of the wind, and copied forward, and he heard two clanging sounds, and the two daggers were knocked to the ground.

"Ahh Seeing that things were lost, the two men screamed and threw themselves at Xu Liang.

"Bold!"

"Presumptuous!"

Dai Yingying shouted angrily, the guards were furious, and at this time Dai Yingying was already in front of the two men, flew up with two feet, kicked the two men who pounced upside down and flew two meters away, fell on the fresh dirt ground, screaming and unable to get up.

Immediately, four guards rushed out and tied the two men to the ground.

"Dog officer!" The man scolded angrily, and just after scolding, he received a loud slap from the guard.

Director He only woke up from the shock at this time, and hurriedly went to check on Xu Liang: "My lord, you, are you okay?" ”

In fact, from beginning to end, the two men did not hit Xu Liang's body, and the two men only took more than ten seconds from the outbreak to being subdued to the ground, until the man scolded angrily, and the people working around him saw that someone wanted to assassinate Zhenyuan Zhixian. The people who were working not far away stopped one after another, stood in place and watched curiously, and whispered.

In the distance, the soldiers of the Inspection Department in charge of the guard were rushing forward.

Dai Yingying also walked up to Xu Liang and asked, "Xu Liang, how are you?" ”

Xu Liang shook his head, put aside the guards and looked at the men with the two lines of stabs, frowned at the hateful gaze of the two men, and said, "Take the two of them down and interrogate them clearly." ”

With that, he stopped looking at the two men, turned and left. Behind him, the man's angry scolding voice came: "Dog officer! I can't kill you today, and I can't be a ghost...... Hmm...... but the guards were gagged.

After entering the Zhenyuan City, Huang Xiancheng and Mao, who got the news that Xu Liang was almost assassinated, hurriedly came over to inquire about the situation, Xu Liang said indifferently, and several people climbed the city tower to overlook.

The results of the interrogation were also delivered. The two perpetrators were the youngest son of the mayor of Nanchuan Town, who was killed by the inspection department, and the other was also the younger brother of a person who was killed. The family was killed, and the two couldn't swallow this breath, so they made up the scene of the assassination, but unfortunately the incident happened in a hurry, and they didn't expect Xu Liang to have a master guard by his side, and it ended in defeat.

Xu Liang smiled bitterly and said to He Cheng: "Look, this is what I said, if you want to do things, there must be people who are not satisfied." He also instructed the guards who had come to report the results of the interrogation: "Execute these two men on the spot for the crime of assassinating the court officials." ”

Huang Xiancheng listened, frowned and said: "My lord, although these two people are unforgivable, they are also excusable, and I hope that the adults will open the net, let them live lightly." ”

Xu Liang glared and said: "Lord Huang is so confused, the so-called revenge of killing his father is not shared. One of these two people is a father, the other is an elder brother, both died under the knife of the inspection department, this hatred, this hatred, these two people will not give up with the official in this life, if the official let them live today, I don't know how many incidents will be pulled out in the future. This official only has a thousand days to be a thief, how can there be a reason to prevent thieves for a thousand days! Needless to say. ”

Huang Xiancheng listened, and was silent with a calm face. Suddenly, Dai Yingying said loudly: "Xu Liang, look, there are many people outside the city. ”

Xu Liang and the others heard this, and looked towards the city. Sure enough, there were many more people on the official road extending from the south gate of Zhenyuan City at some point, and from a distance, these people were carrying large and small packages, adults brought children, and people on foot crowded in the middle of the carts, ox carts, and carriages, stepping on the dust that was as high as the people, and converging into a yellow stream was rushing towards Zhenyuan City.

"It's the people who are fleeing, quickly, open the gates and let them in." Huang Xiancheng said urgently.

"Wait!" Xu Liang shouted: "Close the city gate!" No one should be allowed into the city until their identity is clear. ”

"Your Excellency?" Huang Xiancheng exclaimed.

"Shut up!" Xu Liang shouted: "If you drag your family with you, must you be a refugee if you are in tatters?" Beware of fraud! ”

The crowd soon rushed to the foot of Zhenyuan City, and when they saw the closed city gate, the first few people raised their heads and shouted to the city: "Open the city gate quickly, we are the people who escaped from Jingzhou, let us in." ”

All the officials at the head of the city looked at Xu Liang with their eyes, waiting for him to make up his mind.

In fact, Xu Liang would have already seen that this group of people was definitely not dressed as thieves, because at a glance, there were not only children in the crowd, but also old people and babies in their arms.

"This official is Xu Liang, the magistrate of Zhenyuan County." Xu Liang shouted towards the city, "Where did you come from? What happened? ”

"Lord Zhixian," a man in a blue robe shouted, "I am the secretary of Jingzhou County, and we all escaped from Jingzhou City." Jingzhou has been broken by the thieves, the county lord was killed in battle, and the other officials in the county did not know where to go. ”

As he spoke, the scribe from Jingzhou knelt down first. Behind him, the other people who escaped also knelt on the ground with a hula and cried, kowtowing and crying: "The lord of Qiuzhi County will open the city gate and take us in." ”

When Xu Liang heard this, he ordered someone to open the city gate and let the people outside the city enter the city, and asked someone to call the scribe of Najing Prefecture to inquire about the situation.

After drinking four large bowls of white water, the scribe said to Xu Liang nervously: "Lord Xu, the thieves are a young man, the Heavenly Dragon and the Heavenly Star failed to attack Pingliang Mansion, and they have given up Pingliang Mansion. ”

When Xu Liang heard this, he suddenly felt that the matter was important. Turning his head, he ordered with a stern expression: "The situation is urgent, Huang County, you and Director He immediately go out of the city and put the more than 3,000 people who are still digging the moat into the city." Director Mao, you quickly return to the county government and prepare the equipment to defend the city. ”

Huang Daozhou, Mao Yujie, and He Cheng looked stern, and each took orders to leave. Xu Liang was about to go to the inspection department, when he raised his eyes and saw the Jingzhou scribe looking at him with a blank look, and couldn't help asking, "What are you still doing in a daze?" ”

"The small, the little one is willing to contribute to Lord Xu's defense of the city." The scribe said.

"Don't stand here and make a mess, just go and settle down the hundreds of Jingzhou people you brought." Xu Liang said.

The 1,200 soldiers of the Inspection Division have been sent to the head of the city. After more than 3,000 people outside the city entered the city, Xu Liang ordered people to block the north and south gates with large stones, and ordered Huang Daozhou to select more than 2,000 strong men from among the people, distribute weapons, and defend the city with the officers and soldiers of the inspection department. More than 3,000 officers and soldiers with weapons in their hands were guarding the city, and Xu Liang's hanging heart was slightly relaxed.

After noon, in the thousands of pairs of nervous eyes, a line of black lines slowly emerged at the end of the official road, and the black lines quickly enlarged, and after a while, you could clearly see the dense human heads that formed the black lines.

The thief has arrived.