On this day, in Huixian County, it was very lively, and there were people strolling everywhere, and the pedestrians on the street were several times more stunned than usual. Whether it is a small merchant on both sides of the street, or a restaurant shop, business is very hot.

"What's going on? Why did so many people emerge all at once, don't look at the tattered clothes, all of them are like the rich landlords, not to mention spending lavishly, and selling things is even more dazzling. As long as it is something valuable, no matter what it is, it will not be refused. ”

"I'm wondering, this kind of scene has been going on for two days. This is the case almost every day, not to mention the rags and unkempt clothes of those who enter the city, but they are extremely rich. Some masters are even more spending, what mink coats, what pure wool coats, almost no price, as long as you see it, as long as you like it, you will buy it all. ”

"It's really strange, there is such a strange phenomenon, obviously he looks like a beggar, but he is extremely rich, he looks like a nouveau riche, and the money is not right, is the government not in charge? Didn't you catch a few, try it for the first time? ”

Such a voice of doubt filled the streets and alleys of Huixian County, and was hotly discussed.

"Hey... You don't know yet, do you? According to the news from other state capitals and counties, the thieves who fled to the border of the Three Jin Dynasty all disarmed and surrendered, and were appeased by the imperial court. Now I am preparing to return to Shaanxi by taking advantage of Zhangde Mansion, Weihui Mansion and Huaiqing Mansion. ”

"No wonder... These rebels must have accumulated a lot of gold, silver and jewelry when they attacked the state capital and county, so it is no wonder that they spent so much money. As long as you can see it, you can sell anything. There is no doubt that the vast majority of these people who suddenly appeared should be the rebels who surrendered. ”

"It seems that these people are really obedient to the imperial court and are not ready to rebel. I bought so many things, all of them for the winter, the necessities of life. If they have two hearts and pretend to surrender, most things will only become a burden to them. ”

......

In the crowd, Li Zicheng disguised himself as a wealthy businessman, mixed in, listening to all kinds of discussions of pedestrians along the way, Wu Ruyi and He Zhen followed, and more than a dozen guards, all dressed as entourage.

The business outfits of the group did not arouse any suspicion in this messy Huixian County.

Therefore, although Li Zicheng's style is very large, it is not conspicuous when he blends into the bustling crowd, just like an ordinary business trip to purchase goods.

"Master, Henan has been suffering from drought for many years, and most places are drought and lack of rain, I didn't expect Huixian to be so rich? In Henan, Huaiqing, Weihui and Zhangde, were almost unaffected by the disaster. ”

"He Zhen, you don't know, do you? Weihui Mansion and Huaiqing Mansion are adjacent to the Yellow River in the south and backed by the Taihang Mountains. Even in a drought year, the most that can be harvested is a little less, and there will not be any major famine. ”

While speaking, Li Zicheng continued to walk forward without looking back, He Zhen showed a sudden expression, and then said: "Master, no wonder the victims from all over the country have fled to this area. ”

At this time, as if thinking of something, Li Zicheng suddenly turned to say: "Ruyi, notify the guys in charge of purchasing the goods, and let them buy more things for the winter, such as cotton clothes, cotton pants and the like." ”

"Yes, sir." Wu Ruyi responded, knowing very well in his heart that the boss was reminding himself that those brothers who went into the city would mainly buy clothes for the winter.

Looking at the street scenes along the way and listening to the discussions of the people in the city, Li Zicheng nodded from time to time, very satisfied with the soldiers of the rebel army from all walks of life who entered the city. Although he spends money lavishly, walks up, and goes on a rampage, he has always guarded the bottom line, never caused trouble, and did not make trouble in the city.

Soon after, several people came to the box of a restaurant, and they were leaning against the window, and they could see the scene on the street at a glance.

Li Zicheng stood in front of the window, looking at the street with some congestion, his expression was unwavering, and he said calmly: "Ruyi, send a brother back, inform Tian Jianxiu, and ask him to send more people to investigate the situation along the Yellow River, which wharves can be easily obtained?" Moreover, the ships at the dock were enough to transport soldiers and horses. ”

"Well, okay, boss, I'll send someone back and inform them to see them."

Wu Ruyi agreed, then turned away, walked to the side of the door of the box, and whispered to a guard almost.

Li Zicheng was still leaning against the window, looking at the scene on the street, and he didn't know where a burst of discussion came from, making him laugh silently, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

"Made, is there any reason for this? The law-abiding ones are starving to death, and they have not eaten the next meal. These rebels made a fortune, lived such a nourishing life, spent money like running water, drank wine and ate meat all day long. ”

"Shhhh Be quiet, if it is heard by those eagle dogs in the imperial court, we will have to be arrested, and we will be sentenced to a crime of demagogizing the people and slandering the imperial court, but you and I cannot afford to be guilty. ”

At the same time, Shanxi's governor Yamen, Xu Dingchen, summoned all the generals under his jurisdiction to the study to discuss things secretly.

"Generals, although the imperial court has recruited those thieves and is ready to send them back to their hometowns in Shaanxi, we must not be unguarded, and we must send heavy troops to be stationed at the junction of Shanxi and Henan, closely patrol the border places, and monitor the passing bandit army."

Hearing Xu Dingchen say this, everyone was stunned, which further confirmed the speculation in their hearts, the reason why the surrendered thieves detoured to Huaiqing and Weihui in Henan, instead of going straight through Shanxi and going all the way to the west, the governor played a pivotal role and tried his best to stop it.

After the generals agreed one after another, Zhang Yingchang looked puzzled and asked: "My lord, in this case, you don't worry about these anti-thieves, why don't you propose to the imperial court to gather these anti-thieves together, gather all the forces of the Three Jins, completely exterminate them, and kill them in one battle?" ”

"Mr. Zhang, how do you know that this official didn't do this?" Xu Dingchen asked rhetorically, and the words that followed came to an abrupt end, and he said, "How could I not know?" At this time, there are more than 30,000 surrounding imperial court troops gathered at the junction of the Three Jin Dynasties. If you can coax the thieves in one place, you can kill them all. However, some officials of the imperial court are short-sighted and shallow. ”

From these words, all the generals heard Xu Dingchen's helplessness and emotion, and Gou Fuwei responded and said: "Yes~ In today's imperial court, the eunuchs are gradually gaining power, and they are restraining the generals who are fighting. After these eunuchs got the benefits of the anti-thieves, they disregarded the safety of the society, bewitched the emperor and recruited these anti-thieves, which was equivalent to returning to the mountain. ”

"~ Wang Pu and the others only saw the credit in front of them, after recruiting these rebels, they would indeed be rewarded by the imperial court, but they also buried hidden dangers for the imperial court. Once these thieves survive this most difficult period and are able to recuperate, they are likely to wreak havoc on the world again in the future. Po Ximu looked dissatisfied, and complained indignantly.

Speaking of this, a flash of realization flashed in everyone's minds, no wonder Xu Dingchen tried his best to prevent the surrendered thieves from crossing Shanxi, this is completely disbelieving that the thieves are truly surrendering, and it is a kind of wisdom to protect themselves in desperation.

As soon as they thought of this, the generals glanced at each other, saw a trace of happiness in each other's eyes, and admired Xu Dingchen more and more.

This move not only preserved his official position as Xu Dingchen, but also benefited everyone from the suffering of the fish pond. On the way back to their hometowns, if the thieves come back, no matter what the reason, they can't be blamed.

Of course, at the beginning of the news of the surrender of the anti-thief, everyone was still full of envy, envy of the merit of this trick to surrender the anti-thief. However, when they thought of the possibility of rebellion, these people were full of spirits!

Compared with the great merits, for these military generals who are already extremely human ministers, it will be more important to save their lives and current official positions.

As if seeing what everyone was thinking, Xu Dingchen's expression was solemn, and he said in a deep voice: "Generals, no matter what the result is, although the matter has nothing to do with us, we must also be fully prepared to ensure that nothing goes wrong." ”

Xu Dingchen paused, glanced at the generals, and saw that everyone's expressions were very solemn, and then he continued: "Therefore, each general sent a force to garrison the border between Shanxi and Henan in sections. In this way, once there is a sudden change, we can stabilize the situation by entering, and retreat can prevent Shanxi from being affected. ”

"Yes, my lord, the last general understands, from today onwards, the last will send more secret sentinels and night non-returnees to patrol the border between Shanxi and Henan, and monitor the anti-thieves passing along the way, to ensure that all their movements are grasped." The generals responded with the same sentence.

At this time, Zhang Yingchang seemed to think of something, showed a taboo on his face, and reminded him: "My lord, if these rebels really rebel, even if they are detected and discovered by us, it will be helpless." ”

"Yes, my lord, the path ahead of the thieves is in Henan, and we are the generals stationed in Shanxi. If there is no non-text, it is impossible to enter the border of Henan to suppress bandits. Even if he wins in the end and exterminates the traitors, he will be held accountable by the imperial court. Shi Ji frowned slightly, and echoed in a deep voice.

In an instant, the study became extremely quiet, everyone's expressions were very ugly, complicated, and more helpless, Xu Dingchen sighed, and said faintly: "Hey, this can't be helped, the emperor is now on the rise, immersed in the joy of counterinsurgency and rebellion, no one dares to touch the emperor's moldy head, we can only protect ourselves and take care of the situation in Shanxi." ”

"Without the emperor's will or dictation, among the cabinet and military officials, no one dares to secretly issue such a document, let us act cheaply, once the rebels attempt to rebel, we can send troops into Henan to suppress it. If you really do this, it will be tantamount to provoking the emperor's holy power and questioning the emperor's decision. ”

At this moment, after Xu Dingchen finished speaking, no one said anything, and everyone knew very well in their hearts, don't say that between provinces, even between state capitals, or between two adjacent counties, without the permission of the local governor, it is impossible for the government officials to boast about the boundaries of the case.

And how much more about the war between provinces?

If Shanxi's army wants to enter Henan to suppress bandits, whether it is the governor of Shanxi or Henan, they have no right to speak, let alone decide. Even the military department that handled the military affairs of the world had to obtain the emperor's permission before they could march and fight across regions.

This is also why, at the beginning, the rebel army fled from Shaanxi to Shanxi, and all the officials and troops in Shanxi stopped west of the Yellow River and let the rebel army leave. Because, no one can bear that responsibility, and without the permission of the emperor, they will carry out cross-regional operations.

Even if the military situation is urgent, you can only wait!

Therefore, even if they knew that this was the case, and the thieves had the possibility of rebellion, these people in the house had no choice but to sigh helplessly and sit there quietly.

At the same time, Shaanxi Pingliang Mansion, Guyuan City, the Trilateral Governor's Mansion, Hong Chengchou was dealing with military affairs, He Renlong's velvet clothes and armor, and the appearance of a dusty servant, stood there respectfully.

"Renlong, the war in the land of the junction of the Three Jin Dynasty is in full swing and is in a critical period, why did you come back at this time? Could it be that you are not in a good situation there, ostracized by others, and have to come back? ”

He Renlong glanced at Hong Chengchou, who was still dealing with military affairs, buried himself in writing, hesitated for a moment, and then replied: "My lord, do you know, about the surrender of the anti-thieves, the imperial court has already made a statement, and the emperor has approved the surrender of the anti-thieves. The reason why the last general returned to Shaanxi was that he received a letter from the Ministry of War, led his troops to Yansui, accepted the jurisdiction of Chen Qiyu, the governor of Yansui, and suppressed the rebellion in Yansui. ”

In an instant, Hong Chengchou's hand holding the brush stopped, trembled, looked up at He Renlong, his face was full of disbelief, and said sneeringly: "This official has long heard that the thieves who were forced to a dead end begged to surrender, but I didn't expect the court to really agree." ”

"My lord, there's nothing strange about that. On the way to the march, the last general heard that the opposition of the imperial court was very loud. However, the emperor believed the words of the eunuchs and did not want to fight anymore, but wanted to concentrate his forces to resist the invasion of the barbarians in Ningxia. In addition, a few civil officials fanned the flames on the side, and the emperor agreed. ”

"Renlong, it's not that simple, is it?" Hong Chengchou frowned slightly, revealing a deep groan, and then continued: "The emperor should know that recruiting these rebels is tantamount to letting the tiger return to the mountain. Making such a decision is by no means something that one or two officials or eunuchs can influence. ”

"Uh......"

Seeing He Renlong's hesitant expression, he couldn't speak for a long time, Hong Chengchou seemed to have figured out something, and he didn't continue to ask, but instead said: "Renlong, since the military department has transferred you to Yansui to assist Governor Chen Qiyu in suppressing the rebellion, you take a detour to Guyuan and see me in advance, aren't you afraid that your immediate boss will be disgusted and give you small shoes?" ”

"My lord, the last general didn't think about it that much." He Renlong bowed, hugged his fists and replied, and then continued: "My lord, the last general will be deeply supported by you, and only then will he be as prosperous as he is today. The rebels of the Three Jin Dynasty were appeased, and all of them were moved back to their hometowns, most of whom were citizens of Shaanxi. The last general felt that this matter was important, and it was better for the adults to know about it earlier. ”