The night gradually deepened. The rain is getting heavier and heavier. Hit the house, make a constant sound, and "tick tick" down the eaves.

A gust of wind swept into the room, blowing out the candles.

Fang Buzhen hurriedly wanted to light the fire again, but maybe it was damp, and the flint couldn't be lit after beating for a long time. Only the "snapping" sound of the fire, monotonous and boring, broke the quiet darkness in the pavilion. Yao Haogu coughed lightly, and with the help of the twilight night, he got up and came to the window. He pushed open the window, and the rain poured down on his face like cold moss, and soon wet his sleeves.

Looking out, the deep night rain enveloped the entire Hanyang Mansion, and in the city within a radius of dozens of miles, the civilian houses in the distance, and the pavilions and pavilions in the vicinity all stood silently in the rain. Because the hour is late, there are not many places where the lights are still on, sparse and sparse, and it looks a little lonely and lonely in the sound of rain.

Fang Fuzhen gave up the fire, also came to the window, and said softly: "Sir, the information from the General Administration Department has been reported. What's next? For a while, he didn't get an answer, and he didn't feel a little strange, so he leaned forward and saw Yao Haogu staring at the night sky thoughtfully.

"What are you looking at, sir?"

Following Yao Haogu's line of sight, Fang Buzhen saw that in the gaps in the clouds where the rain was drifting, there were a few clear starlight. This is exactly the same celestial phenomenon that Deng She saw in Yidu. Fang Buzhen was shocked, took a step back in a hurry, and reached out to grab Yao Haogu's clothes: "Sir! ”

"April night rain, clouds and stars. Celestial Phenomena: Lord Kill! ”

The sky kills, and the stars are easy to stay. The ground is killed, and the dragon and snake rise to land. People kill people, and heaven and earth repeat.

"Ju-sama."

"Humble duty."

"You are the messenger of the lord, and I should not have used you to do things. But the stakes are so high that reliable people can't be found in a hurry. Will you please make it difficult for you? ”

Ju Sheng walked out of the shadow, clenched his fists generously, and said: "Although the humble position is from Yidu, he is a guest from afar, but he is also a courtier of the lord. Serve the country loyally, and be a courtier. If there is any need to use the lowly position, please send it. Go to the soup and go to the fire, and do not hesitate. "The descendants of the former Goryeo nobles conspired to make trouble, and he was the first to discover about it. Yao Haogu is right to use him. If you don't use him, it seems that you are afraid that he will rob the credit, which is very unreasonable. So, he was prepared for this.

"Now, according to the report of the General Administration Department and the Yamen of Hanyang Prefecture, the motives for the beauties to gather in Hanyang for no reason have been roughly investigated, and it can be said that 'the water has been revealed'. Basically, it can be concluded that it must be for them to make trouble! The military situation on the Idudu front is tight, and if South Korea is unstable at this time, it will definitely cause serious trouble. In order to stabilize the place, the official decided to 'strike first'! ......, Lord Ju, I have heard for a long time that you are both civil and military, not only have the ability to help the world, but also can ride and shoot. In this battle, please be a pioneer. ”

"What a pioneer? Please elaborate. ”

"Although there are not many people who want to change this time, first, as early as the former Goryeo, Hanyang Mansion was the gathering place of beauty nobles, and we can't help but consider the possible impact of these people; Second, there may still be chaotic parties that have not been detected by the General Administration Department and the Hanyang Prefecture Yamen. Therefore, for the sake of prudence, it is necessary to use the 'cattle slaughtering knife to kill the chicken'! ......, Lord Ju, this official has written you an official letter, asking you to go to the military camp outside the city immediately, and ask the commander of the camp to cooperate. ”

"Whoa!"

Speaking of this, Yao Haogu and Ju Sheng suddenly felt that their eyes lit up, but it was Fang Buzhen who changed a flint and finally lit the candle. Yao Haogu returned to the case, and did not sit down, so he stood and wrote hard, finished writing the official document in an instant, picked it up, blew it, waited for the ink to dry slightly, took out the big seal and stamped it, and handed it to Ju Sheng.

Ju Sheng took it.

Yao Haogu looked into his eyes and said again: "There is one thing you have to remember! There are many soldiers in the Hanyang garrison, so tell the commander in charge of the battalion to be sure to monitor them! From the moment the official letter was received, it was necessary to immediately close the camp. The soldiers you brought out to do errands all required to be Han soldiers! ”

"Please rest assured, my lordship, I will not obey my orders."

Ju Sheng carefully put away the official documents, turned around to leave, stopped again, stared at Yao Haogu, and said: "If you go here, with the people of the General Administration Department in front of you, you will definitely be able to arrest the rebellious party very smoothly." If in the process of arrest, the rebel party has resistance? ”

The General Administration Department has made it clear that it is known that almost all of those involved in this incident are the sons and daughters of the nobles of the previous Goryeo dynasty, and there is still a large influence in the civil society and even in the current Goryeo political arena. If one is not handled well, there is a high probability of turmoil. And, most importantly, there is no definite evidence of whether these people gathered in Hanyang or not to make trouble. All of this is just common sense speculation. So, Ju Sheng specifically raised such a question.

Yao Haogu smiled slightly and said: "When it is extraordinary, you should practice extraordinary methods." In the process of capturing, if you encounter a resistant,......。 He said lightly, "Chop." ”

The candlelight swayed, and the faces of Yao, Ju, and Fang were uncertain. Ju Sheng grinned, showed his white teeth, smiled slowly, and said, "I understand. Without further ado, he turned around and strode downstairs with his head held high.

The sound of his footsteps echoed through the building, fading into silence.

Yao Haogu glanced at Fang Fuzhen and said, "Shique." ”

"Humble duty."

"According to the report, it is not only my Hanyang Mansion that has moved. I'll write another secret order and give it to you. You immediately rush to the Department of General Affairs, cooperate with them, and they will select reliable personnel, and hurry up 800 miles, and quickly rush to various places to inform the local government officials in all South Korea. First, it is necessary to be cautious and vigilant, especially the garrisons in various places, which need to be paid more attention; Second, it is necessary to immediately launch a large-scale search and arrest, and not let a single person slip through the net. ”

"Whoa!"

"In addition, send an official letter to Pyongyang. This matter is extraordinary, and in order to prevent the chaos of the party and the occurrence of changes in the North Korean province, it is necessary to give Moon Pyongzhang a reminder. By the way, it can be regarded as informing him about this. ”

"Yes. Does the gentleman have any other commands? ”

"That's all for now. Go ahead. ”

Fang Buzhen wanted to speak and stopped, plucked up his courage, and said: "Sir, the beauty's desire to make trouble is just speculation, and it has not been implemented, so you will kill now." Aren't you afraid? ”

"What's so scary?"

"If this causes dissatisfaction among the local gentry, or even leads to the responsibility of the lord?"

"The former Goryeo royal clan was founded for hundreds of years. Clans, nobles, and former ministers are located in almost every city in North Korea and South Korea. Since I became a member of the South Korean government, do you know what has been the most difficult thing for me? ”

Fang Fuzhen shook his head.

"It's them, the clansmen, the nobles, the old ministers, in short, the so-called 'local gentry'! Many of these people are related to each other, and their relationships are intertwined. The lord has been deeply worried about this for a long time. Didn't there be a rumor a year ago, saying that the lord planned to move the beauty to Yidu? What is it that you do? Isn't that just to solve this problem? Shique, you have read a lot, and you must know the truth of 'strong branches and weak cadres'. If the power of the local gentry was too great, the imperial court would inevitably have no authority. It's just a pity that a few years ago, it was Chakhan Timur who committed my Yidu; At the beginning of the year, the lord used troops in Jining again, and the war continued, which has not been resolved so far. Therefore, the matter of migrating beauties to Yidu had to be put aside for the time being and could not be implemented. But this is really my Haidong's 'big trouble'.

"This time, I knew that the beauties moved recklessly for no reason and gathered in Hanyang. Not to mention that there is a chance that they must have bad intentions, even if it is chasing the wind and shadows, this massacre is imperative! ”

A sentence popped out of Fang Buzhen's mind: "If you want to add sin, there is no excuse!" ”

He understood Yao Haogu's thoughts, but he still couldn't let go of his worries, hesitated for a moment, and then continued: "Sir's painstaking efforts, I have already understood the truth." However, there are hundreds of beauties who have gathered in Hanyang alone, and after all of them are nobles of the previous dynasty, plus those who have gathered elsewhere, the total number of people will definitely be even more. According to Mr., it seems that even if they don't resist, they will inevitably die sooner or later after they are arrested and brought to justice. If the matter is too big and causes a strong local backlash, where is the lord? ”

If it really causes a strong local backlash, Dunshe definitely needs to give an explanation to the beauty. At that time, the best scapegoat is, of course, Yao Haogu.

Yao Haogu didn't care, picked up the cold tea on the table, took a sip, gently closed the lid of the bowl, smiled, and said: "For the courtiers, you must not only share the worries of the monarch's father. In some cases, it is even more necessary to bear the infamy of the world for the monarch's father. The lord once said: 'If the country lives and dies for profit, will it not be avoided because of good and evil.' 'As long as it is beneficial to our Haidong, even if it will attract the punishment of the Lord, what is there to fear? ”

Fang Buzhen was in awe and said, "My lord's style and bones, it really makes Buzhen admire." ”

"Hurry up and get to work. I'll go to the yamen later, and if there is any change, I'll report it as soon as possible. ”

"Whoa."

Fang Buzhen turned around and went downstairs in the rain.

Yao Haogu stood at the window, condescending, watching the figures of him and Ju Sheng disappear into the night rain one after the other.

He was not in a hurry to go to the yamen, he stood alone in the shadow, stretched out his hand to the window, and felt the cool raindrops. It seemed that a long time had passed, and it seemed that only a moment had passed, and in the empty pavilion, he let out a sigh and muttered to himself: "Shique, your character is difficult to change. Why shouldn't I? 'The country is easy to change, but the temperament is difficult to change'. ”

If an order goes down and hundreds of heads fall to the ground, the consequences can be imagined. Fang Buzhen's guess is very reasonable, and indeed Deng She is very likely to use him as a scapegoat to defuse the anger of the old forces of the beauty. But the big husband has something to do and something not to do. If Yao Haogu is taught to give up this rare opportunity, only for personal consideration, not for Haidong, it is impossible at all.

"That's it. I once heard that Chen Pingzhang in Liaoyang had a nickname called 'Chen Tuzi', because of his strict law enforcement, killing people was not counted. It's a big deal, after this matter is over, my old Yao and his old Chen will have a 'and call it Shuangtu'. Haha, it is also saved to make Lao Chen unique. It's hard to call it an elegant thing, but it's a pleasure! ”

Chen Hu was born in the army, and killing people is considered commonplace. Yao Haogu was a Confucian in the end, and Confucianism governed the country, emphasizing "loyalty and forgiveness", opposing harsh punishments, advocating "benevolence, righteousness" and "morality" to govern the people, and "prudent punishment with virtue". Therefore, even if the beauty is indeed suspected of plotting rebellion, arresting hundreds of people at once is inevitably a bit of a gritted tooth. Not to mention, if the rebellion is true, hundreds of people and their families, not to mention thousands of people, I am afraid that they will not escape beheading or exile. Moreover, if the number of people is large and the case is large, the people below will definitely torture to extract confessions, and innocent people will inevitably be involved.

The pressure is even greater.

Think about how the word "cool official" came from in the history books? Of course, there are innocent people who kill innocents, but there are many who just act in strict accordance with the law, but they also fall into this notoriety.

Therefore, if Hong Jixun is replaced to do this, maybe he will not hesitate at all; But Yao Haogu was deeply influenced by Confucianism, Deng She praised him as a "true Confucian", and he has always regarded himself as a "pure Confucian".

Yao Haogu whispered a few words as if laughing at himself, picked up the candle, and went downstairs. The attendant outside the building handed him an oil-paper umbrella, he changed his clogs, and slowly walked into the rain.

"My lord, where are you going?"

"Yamen."

In the night sky, the clouds were thick, the rain fell like a line, and the starlight was still twinkling.

……

The stars are shining, and the city of Dizhou is headed.

Raindrops hit the city walls, washing away the dust and revealing the blue brick surface. It flowed down to the ground, and merged into a bubbling stream, making the city muddy, and then flowing into the moat. The widened moat has just been dredged, so the * inside, and the night is deep, looking from the city, only to see the black deep blue, on which dense lines bloom, from time to time disappearing, just like Meng Chun March, a hundred flowers bloom one after another. ——, is a whirlpool of rain.

According to Luo Guoqi's military order, the soldiers are all ready.

The garrison in the city was originally about 4,000 men, but 1,000 men were sent out of the city to defend in the highland camps, and now there were 3,000 soldiers in the city.

Because the Yuan army had not yet arrived, there was no need for them all to go to the city, leaving the most elite 1,000 people as a reserve, and the other 2,000 people were divided into two shifts, each with 1,000 people, and they were on duty in turn. When the Yuan army arrived and officially began to defend the city, two shifts were on the same page. The war is critical, and the reserves are up.

In addition, Luo Guoqi also organized a militia of about two or three thousand.

Defending a city is no better than field warfare, and some aspects do not require too high technical content and professional quality. For example, put sassal wood and rolling stones, smash tiles under the city, pour boiling oil, and so on. After a short period of emergency training, the militia is up to the task. These two or three thousand militiamen are used to be prepared. If the battle is too fierce and too many soldiers are killed, at least the militia can stand up for a while. Moreover, they can also wave the flag for the soldiers after the battle, and strengthen the strength of the defenders.

Most of the villagers outside the city have already been concentrated in the city, and due to the rush of time, there must be something missing, but this is also a matter of no choice. That's all Luo Guoqi can do, and the rest is only to hope that the people who were left out can have good luck and not die in this battle.

The expedited military report to Yidu was also sent away. Calculate the time, probably tomorrow and the day after tomorrow Deng She will be able to see it.

Everything is ready, only the east wind is owed. Just wait for the Yuan army to come, attacking and defending.

Luo Guoqi went to the Confucian clothes, changed into armor, brought his own soldiers, and inspected the city with a sword. On the crossbow racks, under the firelight, a cold luster was reflected; Rows of sassal wood, in the rain, silence is like a silent monster. All the guns were pulled out and put in the right places; Stacks of tiles were placed on each battlement, just waiting to be released to wound the enemy.

The entire wall was divided into several defensive areas, each of which was under the responsibility of a team of 1,000 men, which was subdivided into each of the 100 teams under his command. As for each 100-person team, the region will be subdivided and assigned to each 10-person team. As with the arrangement of the whole army, each thousand-man team and each hundred-man team will not throw all their troops at once, and each will have a corresponding reserve.

According to Haidong's military law, a ten-member team is qualified to have its own small flag.

Looking at the city, flags from far and near are like forests. Most of them are red flags, which are soaked by rain, and roll up and down in the wind, which seems a little stagnant. But there is a solemn murderous aura that fills the city.

There are torches on each buttle, which are made of grease and keep burning as long as the rain is not too heavy. However, after all, when the wind and rain are blowing, there will inevitably be light and dark from time to time. Luo Guoqi walked through the flickering torches, and the soldiers on both sides were neatly arranged, holding guns, and everyone was high-spirited.

The rain soaked their armor, and no one would stir it.

The firelight reflected their faces, and Luo Guoqi looked at them one by one. There are those who are strong and strong, and there are those who are thirty and some who are forty years; And the young, there are those in their early twenties, or those under twenty. After walking a short distance, he saw several acquaintances.

In any case, Luo Guoqi also came out of the army, although the Anliao Army was the head of Yang Wanhu's battalion, but the officers in his battalion had done a lot under Luo Guoqi. Luo Guoqi put away Sven's face, picked up the rough side, patted the shoulder of the acquaintance again and again, and laughed loudly.

"Qian Laosan, you bastard, how long has Lao Tzu been in Dizhou City? Except for seeing you during the roll call and inspection in the army, you don't even have a fart at all! How can you say that Lao Tzu is also your boss and handsome, and you forget it all? Hugged Lao Yang's thick legs, didn't you? Look, let's go and complain to Lao Yang, and transfer your kid back to Lao Tzu's subordinates, and give you small shoes to wear on the dog's day! ”

Qian Laosan has the word "old" in his name, he is not very old, he is not yet thirty, he is a very honest person, touching his face, hehe, laughing, and saying: "Where did the adults say!" Can the little ones not want to be adults? It's just that military law is too strict. Without a military order, the small ones can't get out of the camp. Even if you want to be an adult, it's also in vain. ”

"That's it! The Tartars are coming soon, waiting for the war, you kid fight hard! If you want to be able to make a contribution, Lao Tzu will personally go to you to ask for credit. Or a hundred households? Change a thousand households for you to be! ”

"I followed the prince from Yongping, and the Tartars who died in the hands of the villain were not twenty, but eighteen or nineteen. Aren't you just riding with a gentle beard? Miscellaneous brand army. Mo said that compared with the 'Mao Hulu', it is far worse than the Gao Tang Army. Rest assured, the villain guards this piece of the city wall, will not teach half of the Tartar to come up! ”

"Good! ......, Mo Laosi? ”

"Yes, sir. Exactly the villain. ”

"What's wrong with your face? Yesterday, Lao Tzu went to see you in the barracks, you are fine, why do you have dark circles today? ”

Mo Lao was four years older, in his forties, smiled embarrassedly, and said, "Don't mention it, my lord." You know, our team is the first team of 100 people in our thousands of households, the Tartars are coming, we have to defend the city, of course we have to be the first. But some people are not convinced, and they have to compete with me for this position. Annoyed for a while,......,Hehehe, hehe, it's like this." ”

"I'm in my forties, and I'm still so grumpy! Okay, he is worthy of being the famous first general of the hundred people in the Anliao army. "Mo Laosi's thousand-man team is the first team of 1,000 people in the Anliao Army, and the 100-person team he led is the first team of 100 people in the 100-person team, so the army calls him the first general of 100 people.

Although the night rain was getting heavier, the fire above the city was still soaring to the sky.

Luo Guoqi was inspecting the room, and someone hurried to his side and whispered in his ear: "The vanguard of the Tartars does not shelter from the wind and rain, and marches overnight, and it is less than fifty miles away from my Dizhou city. ”

Night into the fourth watch.

……

Night into the fourth watch.

Jinling City, Wu Guogong's Mansion, the side room, is still brightly lit.

It's just that because the debate ended, there was no longer the initial tension, Fang Cong Zhe'an sat down and drank tea, talked about poetry and painting with Fan Chang, Yang Xian and others, and talked and laughed. There was a sound of broken footsteps, and everyone stopped talking, turned their heads to look, and saw that the person who came was not Chen Yu, who had left earlier, but a maid who had lightly swept his eyebrows.

The maid entered the room, saluted with all the blessings, and said, "Excuse me, which one is Mr. Hai Dongfang?" ”

"I am."

"Master Wu Guogong is invited."