Zhu Nao

Shouting from light to loud, from loud to light, and finally back to peace.

The fire was extinguished slowly, the black mist gradually dissipated, and the sound of birdsong resounded in the mountains and forests as usual.

The night passed.

……

In the early morning, Qian Qing was awakened by the sound of discussion outside the door.He got out of bed in a daze, and opened the window, only to see that the sky outside was still dark, and he could only glimpse a little light from the sky.

However, so early in the morning, the courtyard of the official house was full of people.People gathered, chattering, and discussing passionately.Qian Qing was puzzled.It's not yet time for the morning meeting, what are these people doing up so early?

Now that he was awake, he didn't sleep anymore, put on his clothes and went out, walking into the crowd.

"Why don't you sleep? What are you doing here?" Qian Qing asked.

The people in the yard replied: "We are waiting for the soldiers to come back! How can we sleep when such a big incident happened?"

"Waiting for soldiers?" Qian Qing looked blank. "Where did the soldiers go?"

Everyone: "..."

The Xiang soldiers left the camp last night. Since the news had been kept very secret before, many officials only heard about it temporarily last night.There are also some people who have no information, such as Qian Qing, who was told that such a big thing happened last night after hearing people's discussions in the morning.

After hearing this, Qian Qing was shocked: "What??? Xiang soldiers went to suppress the bandits last night???"

"That's right," the speaker was full of worry, "It is said that he left at Xushi. How many hours has it been, and he hasn't come back yet."

Qian Qing stammered, "Why, why so suddenly?"

The man said: "It's not too sudden, hasn't Xiang Bing been training recently?"

Qian Qing: "..."

He did know that Xiang Bing had been training recently, but he didn't expect that he would go to suppress the bandits so soon... Or, he didn't expect that Xiang Bing would actually go to suppress the bandits!

The longer officials served in the state capital, the more they knew how difficult it was to deal with bandits.Many officials, including Qian Qing, even thought that the training of the soldiers by the state government was just to scare the bandits so that they would come and surrender earlier.After all, regardless of success or failure in suppressing bandits, the state government will have to pay a huge price.One of the inescapable costs was the lives of the soldiers.

I think back when Changming Village came to surrender, many officials didn't trust these guys who had been bandits very much, for fear that they would follow in the footsteps of Tulang Village.But after this period of time passed, everyone has changed.And after they came, the officials found that the state capital really needed these soldiers.Not to mention asking them to go out to suppress bandits, at least they can help with something and defend the state capital.Otherwise, the state capital would be so empty that everyone would be worried every day, fearing that someone would rush in and make trouble and they would not be able to stop it.But now, all the Xiang soldiers have been dispatched. If everyone is killed, won't the state capital be in a difficult place again?

The officials were sweating coldly, worrying about the future of the state capital.

Qian Qing's heart also hangs.He was full of things to say, but he didn't dare to say it in front of everyone, so he could only pull aside Liu Qi, an official who supported his recruitment at the beginning, and whispered.

Qian Qing sighed: "Zhuzhou Mu is very good in everything else, but he is so happy. Sigh!"

Liu Qi also had a sad face on his face: "Who says it's not? This kind of thing hurts both sides. If the suppression succeeds, our vitality will be greatly damaged; if the suppression fails, those bandits will know that our state capital is a paper tiger. Don't be afraid, I'm afraid it will get worse in the future!"

If Junao had consulted with them before making a decision, they would have strongly opposed it.But now, Xiang Bing has gone out, and one night has passed, it is too late to say anything, they can only wait for the result.

Qian Qing shook his head and sighed: "This is the end of the matter, I hope it goes well... I hope the casualties of the soldiers will not be too heavy. If half of them can come back, it is God's blessing..."

While talking, someone suddenly came in from the outside in a hurry, walked through the corridor, and went straight to the backyard where Zhou Mu was.When the officials saw the man's clothes, they turned out to be officers and soldiers guarding the city!

Everyone immediately cheered and surrounded him.

"How is it? Are the Xiang soldiers back?"

"I'm back!" The officers and soldiers hurried, panting, "I saw the team approaching from a distance, so I hurried to notify Zhou Mu first."

……

Before dawn, the gate of the state capital opened, and Zhu Nao hurried out with Cheng Jingzhe, ready to go to the city gate to meet the returning soldiers.The two of them walked in the front, followed by a group of officials, all running towards the city gate.

Anyway, it was still early, and they were not in a hurry to get to work. Instead of waiting in the state capital, they might as well go and see what happened.

When the officials arrived at the gate of the city, there was already a group of soldiers waiting under the gate.When everyone saw the number of people in that team, they were shocked—they had already thought that it would be very tragic for the soldiers to go out, but they didn't expect it to be this tragic!Six hundred soldiers went out, but only a few dozen people came back!

Immediately, someone had a sore nose and burst into tears: "The sky has no eyes!!"

There were also a few who were soft-hearted and began to wipe away their tears.After all, after spending so many days with Xiang Bing, who doesn't feel sad that a living person is gone like this?

When they cried, the twenty or so soldiers were startled.The soldiers looked at each other in blank dismay: "Heaven... has no eyes?"

Zhu Nao pushed aside the crowd and walked up, sizing him up, "Why are there only a few of you? Where are the rest?"

A soldier hurriedly said: "Commander Yu sent some of us to come back and report a letter first, so as not to worry about Zhou Mu. The suppression of bandits went smoothly. We shot and killed more than a hundred people and captured more than a hundred people alive. We seized seven or eight carts of grain from the mountains , and some weapons, agricultural tools, money and food. Because there are a lot of things, and a group of people have to be escorted, so the brigade moves slowly, and it will take some time to come back."

The officials around were shocked instantly!There were more than 200 people in Heishanzhai. They were either killed or captured, and all the materials in the mountain were seized. That means the suppression of bandits was successful? !

Success is of course a good thing, but I don't know how much Xiang Bing paid to achieve such results...

Zhu Nao was obviously also concerned about this matter, and asked, "Are there any casualties in the Xiang soldiers?"

This question made several soldiers look at each other in blank dismay.They asked hesitantly, "Do you count the ones with sprained feet and burnt hands? If so, there are a few. The others seem to be gone."

Officials: "???"

Officials: "!!!"

Suppressed Heishanzhai, won a complete victory, and there were no casualties? ? ?Was it the black cottage on Baita Mountain that they suppressed? ? ?Is it the cruel and tyrannical Black Village? ? ?

Only then did Zhu Nao smile a little: "It's good that no one is injured or injured."

He asked the officials to find more carts, donkeys and mules. After listening to the report from the soldiers, there were still a lot of things seized, and more carts and horses might be needed to help pull them.However, after he said it for the third time, no one responded.Officials are like sleepwalking.They even suspected that those soldiers lied about the military situation.

But soon, the large army of Xiangbing came back, breaking all the officials' doubts.

I saw the team returning to the city mighty and mighty, and the soldiers in the box were all valiant and high-spirited.They captured more than a hundred bandits alive. Those bandits were tied with ropes and tied into a long strip. They were all ashen and dejected, forming a sharp contrast with the soldiers.

Yu Changming walked at the forefront. When he reached the city gate, he stopped, and all the long teams behind him stopped.

A few meters away, Yu Changming looked at Zhu Nao in front of him, smiled, and bowed in salute.He set an example, hundreds of soldiers behind him followed suit, and the people saluted in unison, which was very spectacular and shocked the officials around Zhu Nao.

Yu Chang said loudly: "We are looking for thieves in the name of the state herdsman. Fortunately, we did not disgrace our life. We shot and killed 96 people, captured 120 five people alive, and seized some baggage, which has not yet been counted. How to deal with it, please the state herdsman to issue an order!"

The soldiers in the chamber said in unison: "The state shepherd please issue an order!"

The uniform shouts made the officials tremble again.Everyone was in a daze: How does this look like a soldier who has just been recruited not long ago?It's the regular army, I'm afraid it's nothing more than that!How on earth did Zhu Nao collect such a group of treasures?

How could these people think that these brothers in Changming Village have been trained for more than a year.Their loyalty is afraid that even the regular army can't keep up.

Zhu Nao said with a smile: "Everyone has worked hard. The captured bandits will be sent to the prison first. After the luggage is counted, it will be sent to the treasury."

Yu Changming said: "Yes!"

The Xiang soldiers did not kill all of Heishanzhai.This is what Junao specially ordered before the expedition.Firstly, even though the Black Mountain Village is notorious, not all the people in the mountain are guilty of capital crimes; secondly, and more importantly, the purpose of going out to suppress the Black Mountain Village this time is to scare the chickens and monkeys and deter other bandits.Due to the chaotic current situation, although not all bandits are as vicious as Tulangzhai and Heishanzhai, there are not a few bandits who have committed murder and arson.Once the bandits are made to think that they are doomed to death, they are likely to put all their eggs in one basket and commit even greater crimes.It's better to leave them a way out, they are willing to surrender, and the chaos in Sichuan can be quickly quelled.It is not too late to settle all crimes slowly after the situation is calmed down.

The soldiers escorted the bandits and the captured supplies into the city, and the sky was already bright.

When the common people in the city heard the commotion, they came out of their houses one after another and rushed to the streets to watch.A month ago, when Yu Changming brought Changming Village back to Shunzhou Prefecture, they were surrounded by the common people to watch them like this, but the expressions on the common people's faces at that time were mostly fear, fear and disgust.Today, however, it is quite different.

Seeing the disgraced bandits and the side soldiers with their heads held high, the common people couldn't restrain their excitement and cheered for joy.Everyone's faces were full of joy and excitement, and some people rushed out to caress Xiang Bing, wanting to be a little happy.

Everyone in Langzhou hates bandits.Even those who have not been robbed by bandits have suffered greatly from bandits.Just because bandits controlled the mountain roads and hindered business travel, the local people dared not go out, and it was difficult for caravans from outside to come in. As a result, supplies in the city were scarce and prices soared.

Now the state capital took a shot and took down a big village. After so long, they finally saw the hope of quelling the disaster of bandits!This new state shepherd is really amazing!

So Zhu Nao's way back to the state capital from the city gate was also blocked by the common people, everyone shouted at his parents and officials, if it wasn't for Jing Zhe and others to stop and protect him, the excited common people might throw Zhu Nao into the sky.

……

Liu Qi followed the officials back to the state capital, and the usual morning meeting time has passed.He walked in the direction of the official house in a daze, but was grabbed by Qian Qing.

"Where are you going?" Qian Qing said, "Zhou Mu said just now that the morning meeting has to be held, and everyone should gather in the lobby first when they come back."

"Ah? Oh..." Liu Qi turned his head and walked towards the lobby as if sleepwalking.

"Liu Qi, what's the matter with you? Why do you feel that something is wrong?" Qian Qing looked at him suspiciously.

Liu Qi trembled all over, and immediately said: "What's wrong? No, I'm fine!"

Qian Qing was puzzled, thinking that he hadn't recovered from the surprise of Xiang Bing's complete victory.Not to mention Liu Qi, Qian Qing felt a burning pain on his face when he thought that he was still talking about Zhu Nao's great success in the morning.Do people call it Daxigong?That's obviously resourceful!Who else can take down Heishanzhai without any damage?Who else? ?

Because the position of master book was removed by Zhu Nao, Qian Qing was somewhat unconvinced all along.But the facts told him time and time again that he had to be convinced even if he was not convinced.Zhu Nao is capable.Even how much ability Zhu Nao has, maybe it's just the tip of the iceberg now...

Qian Qing resentfully said: "Speaking of it, I really didn't expect that Zhou Tianxun would be the eyeliner of Heishanzhai. After getting along for so long, I didn't find anything wrong with him."

Hearing the words "Zhou Tian Xun", Liu Qi trembled again.

Liu Qi's gaffe started when he saw Zhou Tianxun who was escorted back by Xiang soldiers.Although he didn't know the relationship between Zhou Tianxun and Heishanzhai before, he knew that there must be many people in the state capital who secretly colluded with the bandits and tipped off the bandits - because he himself was one of them!

The bandits used to be ordinary people, and after falling into grass, they must have paid close attention to the state capital's movements.So he mobilized the interpersonal relationship in the village and connected with the state officials.They used to be fellow villagers and old friends, and it was easy to get in touch.There is such a fellow Liu Qi, who also went to the mountains to become a bandit. Not long ago, he came to Liu Qi and asked him to help find out the news in the state capital.After thinking about it, Liu Qi readily agreed.Firstly, he was afraid that bandits would be bad for him if he didn't agree, and secondly, now that Sichuan was in such a mess, bandits were few and far between, so why didn't he give favors along the way and earn some benefits?

He had been living in peace before, and he was lucky, thinking that he would not be discovered by the state government.But now something happened to Zhou Tianxun... The lesson from the past is already in front of him, how can he not be timid...

Soon, officials from all over the state capital had gathered in the lobby.Some people were excited, some people were in a fog, and there were also a few people including Liu Qi who were in a state of anxiety.

Not long after, Zhu Nao came to the hall.He sat down in the hall and asked, "Is everything here?"

The official in charge of the roll call hurriedly stood up and replied, "Zhou Mu, all are here."

"Oh." Zhu Nao nodded, scanning the hall.After a while, he cleared his throat and said slowly, "Today's morning meeting is not for anything else. It's mainly for one thing—you all know about Zhou Tianxun, right?"

Liu Qi trembled again, clenched his sleeves tightly, and lowered his head very low, just hoping that his guilty expression would not be seen by others.Apart from him, there are also a few people like him, wishing to shrink their heads to their chests.

Everyone waited in fear for Jun Nao's next words, but Jun Nao didn't say anything further.Surprised and suspicious in Liu Qi's heart, he finally couldn't help but quietly raised his head to take a look.

On the high hall, Zhu Nao rested his chin, his eyes were smiling, and he didn't know who he was looking at.

After waiting for a while, Zhu Nao finally spoke, "Has any of you ever sat in this high hall?"

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, inexplicably.That's the seat of the State Shepherd, who dares to take it easily?

Zhu Nao said: "It's nothing else. It's just that I just discovered that sitting in this position, I can see the expressions of all of you clearly—including those who lower their heads and don't want me to see them. It's very clear to see. It's really interesting."

Liu Qi: "...!!!"

He broke out in a cold sweat and trembled like he was shaking.Suddenly there was a bang beside him, and there was a guy who was more scared than him, his legs softened, and he sat on the ground directly.

The man was so frightened that he didn't even dare to stand up, so he quickly turned over and knelt on the ground: "Zhou, Zhou Mu..."

Zhu Nao let out a chuckle and shook his head, but he didn't ask the man why he lost his composure in public.

He said leisurely: "Zhou Tianxun made a big mistake, and he should have been punished severely according to the law. However, he also made a great contribution to destroying Heishanzhai. His contribution is not small, and his crime is also heavy. If the two cancel each other out, he should still be punished. The pastor will take light measures. His wife, children and mother were almost slaughtered by bandits that day. Fortunately, the people sent by the pastor of Benzhou arrived in time and rescued them. During his punishment, his family and the state government will take good care of him .”

Everyone in the hall listened with bated breath.

Zhu Nao continued: "These words are not meant to scare you—Henzhou Mu knows that there are still many people in the state capital like Zhou Tianxun who collude with thieves, and I have actually found out several of them. An old friend has to give and receive a favor in private, or if he is threatened, it is not reasonable, but it is understandable. Besides, the pastor of this state values ​​your talents and wants to calm things down. Therefore, everyone is called here today, not privately. Looking for you is to give you a chance. Before you make a big mistake, if you can make a contribution, not only will you not be punished, but you will also be rewarded..."

He smiled and said: "How to do it, you can decide for yourself. Well, that's all for this morning's meeting, you can go to work on your own."

After finishing speaking, without waiting for everyone's reaction, he got up and left the lobby.

As soon as he left, Liu Qi was on the verge of collapse, his legs and feet were weak, and he barely stood up against the wall.What Jun Nao said just now was extremely powerful, even though he knew that Jun Nao might just be defrauding them, what if it wasn't a deception?What if he had indeed been discovered?Just now Jun Nao seemed to have glanced at him a few times!

Thinking of this, Liu Qi's luck has been wiped out...