Minister

70【Six Years of Jiankang】

How cold is it now?Wei Chi really didn't know, he just felt that no matter how many clothes he wore, it was useless, and his back hurt from the cold.Counting the days, Wei Chi was very pleased - half a month will pass tomorrow, whether it is the King of Qin or the court, there should be an explanation no matter what!Rolling up his sleeves and coming back from the city wall, he saw that the small Fengyi City was somewhat empty.This is not a prosperous city, but it is also a place where merchants must pass through. The days used to be noisy.Caravans who have lived here for a long time, merchants, restaurants and post stations are crowded in this narrow street.After the 'purge', this scene has become a thing of the past.Naturally, the merchants disappeared, and many restaurants and inns were closed. Only the caravans remained, watching the war leisurely.

They are not afraid of barbarians, because barbarians often have some friendship with them, and they don't know how to use real weapons in battle.

Xue Zhu told Wei Chi yesterday that there were plenty of ammunition, but the granary was about to bottom out.Wei Chi asked Pang Jisheng, and Pang Jisheng took out all the grain books in the city. After the two of them calculated it, it really was tight!In the end, Pang Jisheng said: "The caravans in the city must have stockpiled food, and the officials will ask them for it."

All I can say is that the caravan has their own weapons, and if there is a slight disturbance at this moment, it may cause civil strife.

Wei Chi thought for a long time, and said, "I'll go ask for it. My lord and the caravan know each other well. If you're rejected, won't there be no one who can talk to you? I'll go ask for it, but the door was rejected, and my lord will clean up for me. .”

People in the city didn't sleep well that night, and Wei Chi, the caravan stationed in eighteen families, visited one by one, some of them were relieved, and some were unwilling.It's no one's fault, the war is in chaos, which ordinary people don't make plans for their own children?Who knows how long this battle will last?I gave it to the soldiers, but I don't have enough to eat, so I drink the wind?

For those who let go, Wei Chi showed his demeanor when he was a little monk Huazhai back then, and thanked them all sincerely.I have been busy for several hours, my lips are dry, and it is almost dawn.Thinking of General Xu on the city wall, Wei Chi decided to take a look.All the sergeants and officials on the top of the city were turned blue from the cold—there were several attacks that night without stopping.After suffering so much and getting over it, but can't have a hot meal?Never!Wei Chi secretly made up his mind.

Wei Chi walked quickly, wanting to send people to those houses to get food as soon as possible.Unexpectedly, as soon as he walked to the door, he ran into a soldier who came to report.The little soldier stumbled and ran: "My lord! Those families suddenly refused to give it again!"

Looking at the mourning soldier, Wei Chi felt extremely irritable!After taking several deep breaths, he managed to calm down and asked the soldier, "What do you say? Did you have a dispute?"

Xiao Bing shook his head: "Chen Hu said that everything is waiting for you."

Wei Chi nodded approvingly, opened the door and went in to find Pang Jisheng.Seeing Wei Chi's ugly face, Pang Jisheng already guessed the matter: "How many companies did your lord talk about, and how many companies didn't you talk about?"

Wei Chi put the cloak on a wooden chair: "My lord guessed very well... Sigh, who knows how hard it is to talk about it and change my mind again."

Pang Jisheng took the cloak on the wooden chair and handed it back to Wei Chi: "My lord, now I can only ask you to go with the old man again..."

Seeing Wei Chi's effort to calm his expression and obediently follow him out, Pang Jisheng couldn't help but sigh in his heart: This young man is no longer a child. General Wang is indeed a discerning man...

When they got there, there was no quarrel. Chen Hu just stood obediently with two soldiers who were preparing to transport food, and a few horses beside him, dragging a few dilapidated wooden carts.The Guotou who was blocking the carriage was getting older, and he probably regretted it after thinking about it all night. Although he knew that he was unreasonable, he still gritted his teeth and refused to let go.

Pang Jisheng went up to make an offering: "Old man, how many times will the grain cost after the war, tell me! I will definitely return it to you according to your rules!"

Lao Guotou didn't talk, just hung his head.The other companies that agreed also hesitated at the moment, watching the old man's attitude.

Pang Jisheng arched again: "Old man, the young people on the top of the city are also fighting this vile battle for the sake of righteousness. Which family has no young children? They are still hungry after fighting... This is really... Sigh."

Speaking of this moment, Pang Jisheng was really emotional.The crowd knew that this little old man was a good man, and he had never felt sorry for Feng Yi in the past, but now that the war is at a stalemate, who doesn't know the hardships of war?On weekdays, who would want to have trouble with this boss?It's just... this is not an ordinary time!

Seeing that this group of people just stared at their feet without making a sound, Wei Chi couldn't help but stand up: "Seniors, at this moment, we don't care about the distinction between officials and people, and please listen to the reasoning of the younger generation."

Wei Chi suppressed his emotions: "Do you all know where the troops outside the pass are from?"

Kabutotuo's head is still hanging on the archway!Who is not Lord Watoley?

"Everyone should know that this prince's arrival here is not a random battle..." Wei Chi paused: "He wants to conquer Fengyi, go straight to Jiaxing, and come to the capital!"

People are still unmoved, and the arrival of soldiers in the capital has nothing to do with them.

"Fengyi's city defense is new! Everyone watched her being repaired. It was also because she was new that Votolei couldn't attack it for a long time... However, if he really captured it, he could still tolerate such a perfect defense Is it blocking him on the only way back? He has no more than [-] troops, even if he goes all the way to the outside of the capital, he can't conquer it in one fell swoop. In less than half a month, all the troops from all over the country can gather in the capital, and then he will retreat! Feng Yi Being an abandoned city is a great thing for him!"

"My lord," a young man in the crowd couldn't help asking: "Then, since the prince is bound to be defeated, why bother to fight the capital? Why don't you destroy my title?"

Wei Chi sneered: "This gentleman doesn't know something. At this time, the capital of Monan is in a hurry, and Wo Tuolei can't get past Yi Kezhao. All he can do is to come to the capital and force all the troops of Daqi to come back to help! So If he can't attack, he must attack!... At that time, your wives and children at home will not be safe, even if you have rations, will you escape?"

As soon as this sentence came out, the whispering of the crowd stopped.

Wei Chi sighed: "...So, this time is definitely different from the past... If the city is destroyed, the city must be destroyed!"

Pang Jisheng wiped the corners of his eyes: "Everyone! Master Wei's words are the truth! These words should not have been said at first, but at this moment, it is time for the soldiers and civilians in Fengyi to be united! I was able to send everyone there earlier. Jiaxing, that is also hoping that the people will not be affected by the flames of war... At this time, it is impossible to take refuge, and the only way is to fight to the death!"

Those who refused to agree last night also surrounded them.

Pang Jisheng bowed deeply to the crowd: "Everyone, this war is not a matter of one or two families! It is really too much for one or two to donate the lack of food! But if everyone can contribute some effort, this will not be a problem Difficult!"

Hearing this, the old Guotou's eyes lit up, and the families around him who had accepted the donation also raised their heads to look at the families who did not donate.The relationship between the caravans is very delicate, they are rivals and friends at the same time, and the sudden repentance of these few companies is more or less unwilling to "why don't you donate" in it.Now that Pang Jisheng made his words clear, it was convenient to say some things.

The few companies that should not donate are a little red-faced. They originally thought of joining forces and not donating, but they never thought that they would not be able to take advantage of it——My food, what I love, why don’t you donate it instead?really depressing...

Regardless of being depressed, Wei Chi threatened, Pang Ji lied, and his lips were worn... In the end, they all let go.

When he returned to the yamen, Pang Jisheng saw that Wei Chi's face turned pale, knowing that this man was young after all, and it was his limit to endure for so long, so he hoped that he would go to sleep and let go of what should be done.Unexpectedly, there was a small school waiting in the middle hall, and when he saw the two of them, he rushed up to greet them: "Hi, my lords, General Geng has an urgent matter!"

Just at the moment, another messenger came from outside the door, saying: "Master Wei, General Xu invites you to go..."

Wei Chi finally got a little annoyed, he let out a 'hmm', and went to Geng Zhuqiu's room first.

Geng Zhuqiu lay reclined on the bed, he was injured, and he didn't need any strange things for medicine, that is, the prescriptions for reducing stasis and festering were changed in rotation every day.Geng Zhuqiu is in his fifties... People on this battlefield are all of this general physique - when they are good, they are naturally on the road, but almost all of them fall ill.

At this moment, Geng Zhuqiu's face was yellow, his arms were still wrapped in white cloth, only his eyes were still bright.Wei Chi would come to say hello every day, even if he had nothing to do, but looking at it today, he felt that Geng Zhuqiu was even more haggard.One was his boss, and the other was his best friend's uncle. Wei Chi quickly calmed down and walked over, sitting respectfully by the couch.

Pang Jisheng knew that it was probably a military plane, so he just brightened the lights in the room and followed the school officer back out.

The crude wooden door closed with a 'squeak'.

Wei Chi said: "Is the general in better health? It's a strange sun today. Look..."

Geng Zhuqiu looked at the wooden door, the wooden lattice let in some sunlight, weaving obliquely on the stone floor.Geng Zhuqiu smiled faintly, and raised his hand to pat the snow scum on Wei Chi's shoulder: "Is the morale of the army still stable?"

Wei Chi didn't say anything about avoiding the military rations, he just said yes.

Geng Zhuqiu was silent for a moment, then pointed to the desk: "Bring those two letters to read..."

Wei Chi was a little surprised, got up and went to the desk to get the letter and walked over.I saw one was an ordinary yellow leather envelope with the letter 'Ming Yan Qi' - Ming Yan was written by Geng Zhuqiu.

There are only a few short sentences, but it is chilling.

Geng Zhuqiu coughed a few times: "Minister of the Ministry of Officials, you know, Liu Min...Master Liu, I have been close friends with him for decades, and now...he has seen through the movements of the court, even though he doesn't want to fuck him... But... he still sent a private message..."

Ever since the news of Wang Yunyi's withdrawal from Ulanchabu reached the capital, the capital has been in trouble.The impeachment papers almost buried the table, and later it was not just papers, it was almost about to fight.After all, the people's money should have been used to build river channels, build post roads, and provide disaster relief... It was all wasted by the Ministry of War, and it seemed like it was wasted.It just so happens that the water accidentally leaked out of the corner hall in the south of the Forbidden Palace. It was a trivial matter, but there was a report from the Ministry of Industry for the matter, saying that the south is the place where the Chen family made a fortune, and this fire is the place where the emperor Lost morality, surnamed Chen lost morality, God punished!The emperor was so angry that he almost turned over the table!It stands to reason that it would not be an exaggeration to dismiss him from office... But the emperor didn't... Liu Min wrote a letter to Geng Zhuqiu at this very moment.

"...If he really killed someone, the emperor will be considered to have accepted the main responsibility for this war... But... since the emperor didn't kill him, let alone kill him, he didn't even drop his official position... It can be seen that the emperor is about to leave the cave... Geng Zhuqiu pretended to be relaxed and smiled.

Only then did Wei Chi feel a chill in his back—is there someone behind the performance?This discount is mostly for the purpose of provoking the generals. As long as the emperor can't hold back and punishes him severely, his attitude will be clear... The battle that should be fought must continue to be fought.But...the emperor didn't, not only didn't he fast and beg for crimes...This means that he put aside his position with the Wang family army, and all the consequences will be borne by the Wang family army?

"As expected..." Geng Zhuqiu pointed to another letter: "Look..."

The other letter was not a letter, it was a document. It was sent from Jiaxing, but when it was opened, it was stamped by the Ministry of Household Affairs.

"...I want food... I just want food... But the paper is full of excuses. Gucheng! Gucheng!" Geng Zhuqiu suddenly slammed the bed square: "It's so close, one or two days The food that can be delivered! Just don’t send it! Beast! Beast!”

Wei Chi didn't know what Gucheng was, he only heard that it was a place to stockpile food for Feng Yi, but because it was military food, without special military documents, food would never be distributed!Wei Chi's fingers couldn't help trembling. A thin document was pressed coldly and heavily on his hand, and he only understood the word 'chilling' thoroughly.

Geng Zhuqiu breathed a sigh of relief, and handed Wei Chi another letter beside his pillow.This letter is even shorter. In one sentence, it means that King Qin's battle is tight and he can't come here for the time being.

'...delay...'

The two were silent for a moment.

"I thought, as long as you come to Fengyi safely with me, you will be stable in the future. Who knew that Wo Tuolei would attack Fengyi with heavy troops, and then I thought, the king of Qin is safe, who would have survived until today, I just know that I will continue to suffer...my nephew wants me to take care of you, but I..." Geng Zhuqiu couldn't help feeling a little sad when he said this: "You are just a civil servant with such good imperial examination results, you shouldn't be reduced To this day." Geng Zhuqiu squeezed Wei Chi's hand tightly: "King Qin's place is better than here... Now King Qin's people are still in the city, you can leave with him..."

Wei Chi sighed: "General, everyone has his own life, so how can I blame you? Since I joined the military department, how can I not know the general's love for me? What kind of person Bingwen is? Does the general not understand? Me and Since he is a close friend, he is naturally confidant! Protecting the family and the country is the loyalty that should be done. If I can survive at this moment, I will be sorry for the court's importance, and I will be sorry for the brothers who fought bloody battles." Wei Chi suddenly choked up and said: "I'm even more sorry brother...!"

At this moment, there is no one else in the room, life or death is a choice... How many soldiers who have galloped on the battlefield for decades are reluctant to part with their own lives?

Geng Zhuqiu doesn't want to make any more sense at this moment, people who lick blood most disdain life, but they know how precious life is.Geng Zhuqiu just threw Wei Chi's hand angrily: "You man! Why don't you know how to choose? How many important things can't be done if you save your life? What's more, there are so many people in this city, and you, a civil official, will die in vain if you keep them. Will Du Cane feel at ease if he wins the title of Loyalty? Will Bingwen feel at ease?"

Seeing Geng Zhuqiu's lips turning blue with anger, Wei Chi said, "...Didn't your lord leave too?...I just want to be at ease..."

Just as he was talking, Chen Hu's voice sounded outside the door: "Master Wei...all the food is in storage!"

Wei Chi stood up, glanced at the door, and then bowed his head to look at Geng Zhuqiu: "General! Fengyi Pass will be guarded!... You must take good care of yourself..." When he walked to the door, he turned back: "... We went back to Beijing victoriously, hehe, I heard that you have the most good wine in the Geng family, but you have a bad reputation for being stingy! At that time, you must be willing to give it to the younger generation! Don’t get drunk!"

Geng Zhu Qiu wanted to persuade him again, but after hearing this sentence, he couldn't say anything. When he heard the door creak again, he felt that the sound of the rotten wood pinching was louder than the chiming of the bell.

Seeing the excitement on Chen Hu's face, Wei Chi couldn't help but let go of his depression and boredom.When I arrived at the front yard, I saw the little officer who had just had a 'cold face' was still standing in the yard waiting, covered in heavy snow, almost like a snowman.

Wei Chi was apologetic, and took a few steps quickly: "I've been waiting for a long time, what did General Xu say?"

The school official was not only ten years older than Wei Chi, but he looked at him with trust and admiration: "The general is on the city wall!"

On the top of the wall, a soldier saw Master Xiao Wei approaching from afar, and couldn't help teasing Xu Longshan beside him: "General, Master Xiao Wei stayed up all night and stayed up until noon, don't you treat others as iron men? Master Xiao Wei Not yet eighteen!"

Xu Longshan is a person who never puts on airs. He just pointed to his face and said with a smile: "You don't know, Mr. Wei is the most clean person. Look, he still has the strength to wash his face clean." Jing, it’s still too early to lose seedlings!”

The few people next to him heard this, and even Tang He couldn't help laughing.

Wei Chi went up to the tower to see what Xu Longshan and a few people were laughing at, and looked at the enemy's attitude like nothing.

For a time, I had mixed feelings in my heart.

No reinforcements, no food... Fengyi is already a lonely city,

How to say this?