Three thousand miles in exile

In winter, the days are short and the nights are long. After the winter solstice, Qiyun Mountain entered the deep winter. It snowed for several days and nights. Liu Zhan had to stop his daily drills. The only task of the soldiers during the day was to clear the snow. Tongtianguan was submerged.

The soldiers had a lot of free time, and they often gathered together to play cards in groups of three or five. Anyway, they were idle, so Liu Zhan asked Zhang Xiaoman, Li Xiaolian, Cao Ming and the others to teach everyone how to practice calligraphy.

It was only a few hours during the day and it was dark just after Shen Shi. The cold wind outside the house was bitingly cold, and the flickering candlelight in the house filled the room with warmth. After washing, Song Fenglin sat on the kang to read a book, but as soon as Liu Zhan came back, he dragged him into the quilt Do that shameless thing.

Some things can't be stopped as long as they are opened once. Liu Zhan has so many tricks. Where is Song Fenglin his opponent? I don't know where the clothes are thrown. The age of seventeen or eighteen is when the energy is the most vigorous. Song Fenglin can't stand it at all. He provoked a few times.

Some things only happen for the first time and countless times, especially Liu Zhan, who is extremely sloppy and hard to guard against. He can always accurately grasp the direction and make Song Fenglin lose himself in the ups and downs again and again.

Even if the two of them haven't reached the last step, Liu Zhan has won the sweetness for himself, and he has tasted everything that should be tasted. He only waits for him to grow up a little bit, and he will take a step further when he completely accepts himself.

In this way, on the first day of the new year, Liu Zhan gave each of the soldiers in the battalion a tael of silver lucky money. Because the weather was really cold, they stopped doing activities, and everyone went back to their houses after clearing the snow.

When the earth warms up and the snow and ice melt on the mountains, it is already mid-March.

Liu Zhan sent people to clear the way down the mountain, and the soldiers of the whole battalion began to go down the mountain in rotation to visit relatives.

On this day, Liu Zhan also set off home with Song Fenglin.

Song Fenglin rode a horse, and Liu Zhan walked ahead holding the rein. The ground was very slippery from melting snow, and Liu Zhan took every step carefully.

While chatting on the road, Song Fenglin suddenly remembered a question that he wanted to ask a long time ago. "Actually, you don't have to detain the entire battalion of soldiers in Guanzhong for the winter. Anyway, no Yan people will go up the mountain in such weather."

Liu Zhan said with a smile: "I deliberately kept them on the mountain. The Chu army never trains in winter. I think it is very necessary, otherwise there is no combat effectiveness at all in winter."

After getting along for a long time, Song Fenglin also knew that Liu Zhan never did meaningless things.

"Are you going to the front?"

"Yes." Liu Zhan said without thinking. "As long as it is beneficial to the future development, I will go. The foundation of the site is that the fist is hard enough."

When the two returned home, it was a coincidence that Liu Cheng came back with a letter from Liu's family in the capital.

What surprised Liu Xueyuan was that Liu Tongxin admired Liu Zhan's joining the army very much, and at the same time, he affirmed Liu Zhan's point of view. The shortcoming of the Liu family's lack of military power led to the fate of the emperor's family. The letter also stated that Liu Tongxin joined forces with Liu Xueyuan's family The Zhao family's connections made it hard for Pei Wanshan to get the post of Cenzhou magistrate, and the former Cenzhou magistrate was transferred to another place to take up the post. This operation took a lot of effort.

Pei Wanshan's promotion documents should arrive in Wuyuan County in a few days, along with Lu Shusheng's employment documents. After this operation, the development of the Liu family in Wuyuan County can be said to be as stable as Mount Tai.

In addition, Liu Tongxin also urged Liu Xueyuan to manage Yunzhong Academy well and train more children from poor families. Once these children from poor families go to high school, they will become the Liu family's network of contacts.

Liu Chengdao: "The second master also asked about the current situation of the family, and I answered them one by one. The second old lady was worried and worried and kept wiping her tears. She said she wanted to send us something, but I declined it. The food at home is used. There is nothing missing, but if it is used too well, I am afraid it will attract criticism."

Butler Liu also brought back a letter from Zhao's father during his trip. Mr. Zhao was very relieved to know that his daughter was still alive and that the family's life in northern Xinjiang was settled.

A few days later, Pei Wanshan's promotion document arrived in Wuyuan County. Pei Wanshan went up the mountain overnight to thank Liu Xueyuan, and vowed to work for the Liu family. Needless to say, Lu Shusheng was a student taught by Liu Xueyuan himself, so he was naturally loyal to the Liu family.

The transfer of power in Wuyuan County was uneventful. Pei Wanshan handed over all the contacts he had managed in Wuyuan County for many years to Lu Shusheng. Before leaving, he did not forget to dismiss the current county lieutenant of Wuyuan County.

The former Wuyuan county lieutenant is the grandfather of a concubine of a certain family member of the Yan family. He obtained the position due to nepotism, and has no achievements in his daily life. His biggest hobby is alcoholism. He is rarely sober during the day, because of his granddaughter. The position of Wei is as stable as Mount Tai, and even Pei Wanshan has to give him a little bit of face.

Originally, he had already decided that after a hundred years, the position of county lieutenant would be passed on to his son. In the past, Pei Wanshan would not have dared to touch him, but now it is different. Firstly, the Yan family is already overwhelmed, and secondly, Pei Wanshan is already the magistrate of the state. Well, it's not just a matter of saying a word to masturbate a county lieutenant who is full of problems.

The first thing Lu Shusheng did after he took office was to propose a new household registration for Liu Zhan. Liu Zhan proposed to apply for Song Fenglin's household registration as well, and the two of them turned into peasant children in Wuyuan County. It is Liu Mingzhan, the new household registration is changed to Liu Zhan, and Song Fenglin is changed to Song Lin.

Half a month after Pei Wanshan took office in Cenzhou, Liu Zhan's promotion document was sent to Wuyuan County.

Liu Zhan originally wanted to make a book for Song Fenglin, but he found out that he needs to have a reputation as a scholar to be hired. The household registration is easy to falsify, but the fame is registered by the state government at various levels, so Liu Zhan gave up.

Afterwards, Liu Zhan bought a two-entry courtyard in the county seat, where he and Song Fenglin lived on weekdays.

Butler Liu asked his son Liu Cheng to be Liu Zhan's servant, and he himself proposed again that he wanted to bring his relatives up the mountain to serve the old lady and the ladies. Liu Zhan thought that the general situation was set now, and the Liu family didn't need to be too timid, so he agreed. , And asked Steward Liu to buy two more servants, and if necessary, he could also hire the relatives of the three families of Cao Wen and Zhang to do things. There are many chores on the mountain, so we can't put all the agricultural work on Steward Liu's family.

After the new official took office, everything was waiting to be done. Liu Zhan took Cao Zhuang, Li Xiaolian, Cao Ming, Wei Chenggui and other capable soldiers to the county barracks to take office.

County Barracks Campus.

It was the first time Liu Zhanxin came to the school grounds to count troops after taking office, and Lu Shusheng accompanied him.

Zhao Qianhu stared at Liu Zhan like a poisonous snake. In his eyes, he was just a brat, and he didn't know how to bribe Pei Wanshan to seek an official position. The more he thought about it, the more angry he felt. .

Outsiders don't know about the Liu family and Pei Wanshan. In the eyes of outsiders, Liu Zhan is just a kid who got lucky.

Liu Zhan ignored Zhao Qianhu's cannibalistic gaze and turned to Master Fang to ask. "Master Fang, how many soldiers are there in Wuyuan County?"

Master Fang replied. "A total of 980 people are registered, and according to the system, a county can have [-] soldiers."

Liu Zhan nodded and asked Zhao Qianhu again. "Ask Zhao Qianhu, how many soldiers are in our battalion? How many soldiers are in Guanzhong?"

If it wasn't for Lu Shusheng's presence, Zhao Qianhu wouldn't have answered at all, so he endured it and said. "There are 580 soldiers in the battalion, and [-] soldiers in each of the four passes."

At the beginning of Tongtian Pass, counting the sixteen teenagers that Liu Zhan brought with him later, there were no more than 50 of them at all, and Zhao Qianhu said that each pass had a hundred soldiers, and Liu Zhan didn't say anything in his heart.

Liu Zhan cupped his hands. "Then trouble Zhao Qianhu to call out all the soldiers in the camp."

Zhao Qianhu was taken aback for a moment, and blurted out. "When the old county lieutenant was there, he practiced counting troops every day, and he didn't ask the whole battalion to come out."

The old God Liu Zhan is here. "That's the old county lieutenant. I'm the new county lieutenant. What's wrong? Zhao Qianhu seems to be in a difficult situation?"

"It's nothing!" Zhao Qianhu rushed to call two hundred household heads to arrange troops.

Not long after, there were sparse teams entering the arena one after another, tall, short, fat, thin, old and young, without any appearance, which made Liu Zhan, who had received modern orthodox military training, see a wildfire in his heart!And at a glance, it is obvious that there are not thousands of people, probably at most eight hundred people.

Lu Shusheng also saw the problem. "Everyone is here? Just these people?"

Liu Zhan said: "Not only in the camp, but also in Guanzhong. In fact, there are less than [-] soldiers in a pass."

Zhao Qianhu immediately said: "Master Lu, this is what the old county lieutenant did when he was there, because the old county lieutenant is General Yan's Yue family, so his subordinates dare not speak out."

Liu Zhan chuckled. "Which family is General Yan's Yue family? It's just the natal family of General Yan's cousin's concubine."

Zhao Qianhu blushed from being blocked by Liu Zhan.

"It's unreasonable!" Lu Shu was furious. He was full of enthusiasm to serve his fellow villagers, but he witnessed the corruption in the officialdom right after he took office. Very annoyed, he asked Liu Zhan again.

"Can these soldiers still be used?"

Liu Zhan answered decisively. "cannot."

Zhao Qianhu almost didn't jump up. "However it cannot be used, as long as it is practiced well, it can be used!"

Liu Zhan ignored him. "Lord Lu, what we want are soldiers who can go into battle and kill the enemy. Look at these people. Most of them are old and weak. What's the use if they can't carry their hands on their shoulders?"

Lu Shusheng said: "Lieutenant Liu, I entrust you with all the affairs in the camp. It's up to these people how to deal with you."

Liu Zhan cupped his hands. "Your official understands, Mr. Lu, let's go and get busy, don't worry about me here."

Lu Shusheng said again: "If you have something to do, you can send someone to the county government to look for me."

Liu Zhan nodded with a smile. He knew that Lu Shusheng always felt uneasy when he thought of himself as a little brother from the bottom of his heart.

How could Zhao Qianhu have thought that since the newly appointed magistrate Lu had such trust in Liu Zhan, he heard that Liu's son had something to do with the Yunzhong Academy on the mountain, and that the county magistrate of Lu came out of Yunzhong Academy, Zhao Qianhu was shocked for a moment Not sure, but he was getting more and more upset in his heart. If he had a backer, he also had a backer. The so-called strong dragon does not overwhelm the local snake, and today he will definitely embarrass Liu Zhan.

As soon as Lu Shusheng left, Zhao Qianhu waved all the soldiers away. He hummed provocatively at Liu Zhan, and left without saying hello.

"This man is really rude!" Cao Zhuang was so angry that he wanted to beat him, but Liu Zhan raised his hand to stop him.

"It's just a clown, what's wrong with him." Liu Zhan completely ignored him, he already had an idea in his mind.

Back at the county barracks office, Song Fenglin was taking Zhang Xiaoman and Wen Qingshan to check the files.

"The counting of soldiers today is not going well, right?" Song Fenglin looked up at him and continued to look through the files.

Liu Zhan laughed. "It's the same as the situation at the beginning of Tongtian Pass."

Song Fenglin raised his eyebrows. "Lieutenant Liu is going to have another in-battalion competition to screen old, weak and remnant soldiers?"

Liu Zhan sat across from him. "Nowadays is different from the past. I have asked Cao Zhuang and others to discuss the conscription, and I have to trouble Mr. Song to draw up a list to remove soldiers over the age of 40."

Now that Liu Zhan is in power in Wuyuan County, why should he look at the faces of those little shrimps and fishes.

Three days later, as soon as the list of removals came out, the county barracks immediately bombed the battalion. Zhao Qianhu took the opportunity to encourage the veterans to rebel and led the veterans to surround the county barracks office. Let the adults above see that this kid is an idiot!

Unexpectedly, the county barracks and yamen were already prepared. Liu Zhan dispatched a hundred soldiers from Tongtianguan. , Just that momentum shocked the old, weak and disabled soldiers who were strong on the outside but on the inside.

"Why retreat! We have hundreds of people, and we are afraid of these stunned young men! Give it to me! Capture Liu Zhan alive!" Zhao Qianhu's soldiers chased after him, and all the veterans became sandwich biscuits. Neither is retreat.

At this time, Liu Zhan, who was wearing a stone blue eight-pin county lieutenant uniform, came forward calmly from the yamen.

The crowd quieted down when Liu Zhan appeared, and those who had clamored to capture Liu Zhan alive fell silent for a while.

In this day and age, officials have natural power and power, so who would dare to touch a single hair of Liu Zhan wearing the official uniform of an eighth-rank official?

Liu Zhan raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and then stood with his hands behind his back, calm and stable, not like only him.

"The Yan people invaded our territory of Great Chu, and the Cangxia Plain continued to fight. Our soldiers guarded the gate of the country for the emperor. It is our duty to go to the battlefield in the future. Now most of the soldiers in our battalion are old. According to the laws of Great Chu, they should be removed. Those who agree to retire today can receive food and pay on the spot and return to the field, and my lord will not deduct a single point from you."

After Liu Zhan’s words fell, the veterans immediately talked about it. Zhao Qianhu’s encouragement was nothing more than just talking about the rations. Now the new county captain promised to settle the rations on the spot without deducting them. You must know that they only got [-]% of the rations in the past, and the rations in the camp Once a season, the last season's rations have not yet been paid, and if they can receive two seasons of rations at once, they will not be deducted. The soldiers beat their small abacus, and immediately some old, weak and disabled soldiers knelt down and confessed their mistakes.

"Those who are willing to settle their rations and retire now can go to the warehouse, and there will be someone to distribute it to you." Liu Zhan's words seemed to have great magic power. First, a few people left, and then more and more people left. The next ten or so people looked at Zhao Qianhu and didn't know what to do.

Zhao Qianhu's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

Liu Zhan clasped his hands and sneered. "How capable do I think you are, so there are only a dozen or so soldiers around you?"

At this time, Zhao Qianhu had the idea of ​​retreating, thinking that Liu Zhan, a brat, would not be able to do anything with him, so he pretended to be stupid. "Lord Liu, I'm just confused for a while, I'm going down to receive the punishment."

Zhao Qianhu had a good plan, and wanted to punish himself with a few military sticks, but he made it clear that he was bullying Liu Zhan because he was too young to handle him.

Unexpectedly, the next moment Liu Zhan raised his hand, his number [-] personal soldiers immediately rushed towards them like a fierce tiger.

Zhao Qianhu was crushed to the ground when Guo Donghu snapped his arm, and he really knew he was afraid at this moment.

"Master Liu, please forgive me! Please, Mr. Liu! This official has eyes that don't know Mount Tai, and from now on, this official will be Mr. Liu's leader!" Zhao Qianhu kept begging for mercy after eating a few mouthfuls.

Liu Zhan sneered. "Zhao Qianhu's unpardonable crime of rebellion was executed on the spot! The body was hung outside the camp for ten days and the rest of the accomplices were sent to death row."

"No! No!!" Zhao Qianhu panicked. "You can't kill me. My brother-in-law is the head of Cenzhou Yamen, and my mother's family is Dasheng Commercial Firm. I'll send someone to send you how much money you want. If you kill me, my brother-in-law will definitely not let it go!"

Liu Zhan sneered, turned his head and said to Li Xiaolian: "Have you heard that, tell Brother Lu to send a letter to Mr. Pei, the master book cannot be kept."

Li Xiaolian was ordered to go down immediately.

Zhao Qianhu was dumbfounded. At this moment, his incompetent brain realized that Liu Zhan dared to do this, and naturally he relied on something. He ran into it without knowing the relationship, which was no different from suicide. Listen, Zhao Qianhu quickly fell silent after being dragged down.

The rebellion of the veterans in the county barracks spread all over the county that day, and the retired veterans who had received food and pay were all unanimous in their warning.

Song Fenglin got the news after Zhao Qianhu's death. He didn't expect Liu Zhan to kill them, so he hurriedly drew up an official document listing Zhao Qianhu's crimes and handed it over to County Magistrate Lu. After the county magistrate recorded it, it was forwarded to Peizhi Prefecture.

In the document, Song Fenglin wrote that Zhao Qianhu committed suicide in fear of crime and did not mention Liu Zhan's murder.