Chapter 468: Shifting Responsibility
Xu Junfan, Zuo Yi and their group walked back in a depressing atmosphere.
Zuo Yi was extremely upset. How could he explain to the emperor and the court how he had lost so much tax grain?
Xu Junfan also frowned and sighed.
Zuo Yi's eyes rolled and he had an idea in his mind.
He looked at Lu Wei and the others with suspicion, "Why did you carry so much pine oil?"
They only got to know about pine oil after they came to Pingzhou. According to Lu Wei, it was used to start fires.
Lu Wei looked puzzled. "Fire starter is useful, so I brought it."
Zuo Yi pressed him further, "Then tell me why the Xianbei army appeared at that critical moment?"
Lu Wei's face was filled with humiliation. "Master Zuo, what do you mean? Suspecting me of colluding with the Xianbei? Do I have the ability or the dignity to command the Second Xianbei Prince and his army?"
Xu Junfan didn't say anything and let Zuo Yi perform.
Zuo Yi: "You don't have to get so excited. I'm just stating the facts. After all, the Xianbei army's appearance was just too coincidental."
Lu Wei said excitedly, "Why did we encounter the Xianbei army? Lord Zuo, don't you know? I've told you so many times not to transport the grain and to turn back. Well, now that something's wrong, you're blaming me?"
Lu Wei's behavior was as if he had suffered a great injustice.
Xu Junfan quickly tried to smooth things over, "Master Zuo, Lu Wei really can't be blamed for this. You must have misunderstood him."
Lu Wei gave him a grateful smile.
Zuo Yi simply changed the question, "Then why did you burn so much food?!"
Lu Wei looked puzzled. "Why not burn it and save it for the Xianbei army? Let them eat and drink their fill and then slaughter the people of Dali?"
Zuo Yi: "In short, you shouldn't have burned the tax grain! If you hadn't burned it, we could have asked Lu Desheng to send troops to take it back. Now look, you burned it, and we don't even have a chance to take it back!"
"The tax grain is still in the old place, just go back and grab it!" Lu Wei suggested sincerely.
Zuo Yi choked.
Lu Wei sneered in his heart. Want to pass the blame to them? No way!
The people Lu Wei brought were also whispering to each other.
"This guy is an ungrateful person. I shouldn't have persuaded him to leave. Let him live and die with the tax grain, and let him experience the cruelty of the Xianbei army!"
"You really think you have nine lives. Even the ferocious bandits ran away when they saw the Xianbei army."
The person's voice was not loud, and Zuo Yi could vaguely hear some of it. He immediately glanced over and waited for those people to fall silent. Then he looked at Lu Wei and said, "I don't care. This incident is due to your failure to protect the grain. The responsibility lies entirely with you, Pingzhou."
"so?"
"You Pingzhou need to pay grain tax again!"
Lu Wei sneered in his heart, but still looked honest and easy-going, "You have to talk to our Lord Lu about this!" Let Lord Lu punish him!
They were all very stiff on the way back to the Pingzhou Governor's Mansion.
When they returned to the post station, the two sides parted ways.
Xu Junfan grabbed Zuo Yi and said, "Let's spread the news of the tax grain being robbed first."
Xu Junfan had his own agenda. If this happened, he would undoubtedly be accused of negligence. He should pass the news back first. Even if the emperor was displeased with them, they were still in Pingzhou, so punishment wouldn't fall on them immediately. By the time they returned to Chang'an, the emperor's anger would have subsided to some extent.
After Lu Wei returned, he quietly went to the governor's mansion.
That night, several more carrier pigeons flew out of the Pingzhou Governor's Mansion. At the same time, Lü Songli also summoned Wang Dong.
south
After receiving the imperial order, General Sun Ming summoned a large army and marched north to respond to the court's call and support the battlefield.
At this time, he was sitting in the carriage, studying the information in his hand with a serious expression.
After he put down the information, he couldn't help but pinch his brows. This battle was not going to be easy.
Northland, Baihe Town
Fu Jiangong stood in the afterglow of the setting sun and looked at Jinyang, which was occupied by the Wuhuan and had the Wuhuan flag hoisted on it. His expression was very solemn.
If a general is incompetent, the whole army will be exhausted.
Having lost Jinyang, he also lost all the face in his life.
He now doesn't know how the court will deal with him next, nor does he know if he will have another chance to avenge his previous humiliation, or even whether the court will rehabilitate the Qin family and then come to the northern border to take over military affairs.
At this time, his personal guards came running over, "General, support from the court has arrived!"
When Fu Jiangong heard this, his eyes lit up. He still had a chance!
Chang'an
After sending aid to the northern border and Bingzhou, the imperial court was still gathering supplies to support Youzhou and Pingzhou. They were almost done.
At this time, news came from Xu Junfan and Zuo Yi - Pingzhou's tax grain was robbed by the Xianbei army on the way back to Chang'an.
The two did not mention the bandits because in their opinion, the little bit of food the bandits stole was nothing, just a small amount at most.
This incident made Song Mo very dissatisfied. He felt that Lu Desheng was not sincere. If he had sent more people to escort the tax grain, the tax grain would not have been robbed.
But at this time, Song Mo was still able to suppress his dissatisfaction.
At this time, someone spread the news in the palace that there was a salt lake in Longcheng, Liaoxi County, Pingzhou.
Zuo Anmin was stunned when he heard this. What did it mean? He was still hesitating, and before he could...
After Eunuch Li Jieying secretly had someone pass the rumor to the emperor's ears, he erased all clues and hid his achievements and fame.
Song Mo was extremely angry. He discovered the salt lake but did not report it to the court and mined it privately!
"Traitor! Truly a traitor!"
Song Mo ignored the advice of his ministers and directly cut off the military support to Pingzhou. Then, he issued an imperial edict to question Lu Desheng and depose him from the position of governor.
At this time in Pingzhou, the offensive and defensive battle between the Xianbei and Pingzhou was in a stalemate, and neither side could do anything to the other.
In this tense and exhausting atmosphere, a rumor slowly spread in Pingzhou.
"I heard that the tax grain we paid to Pingzhou this year was robbed in Feiru County."
"Hiss, no way? So much food was robbed?"
"No, no. I heard that our Pingzhou grain transport team leader Lu Wei was alert and set a fire, burning some of the grain."
"That's good, that's good. At least the tax grain didn't all go to the Xianbei."
"What's good about it? The tax grain was robbed, and the imperial envoy put all the blame on us, Pingzhou, saying that we failed to protect the grain properly. He ordered us, Pingzhou, to pay the grain tax again."
The common people were angry when they heard this.
"Why? We in Pingzhou have already paid the tax once!"
"Yes, I also heard that not long after the tax grain was transported away, the Xianbei invaded Youzhou and Pingzhou. Lord Lu tried to persuade the imperial envoys to return, but they refused to listen!"
"This is the fault of the imperial envoy and the imperial court. Why don't they take responsibility for it themselves, but instead ask the people of Pingzhou to make up for their mistakes?"
"Where is Lord Lu? What did Lord Lu say?"
"Lord Lu must be in a difficult situation as well."
"What should we do then? Should we pay this tax?"
"Pay a fucking shit! To put it bluntly, after we pay the tax again, what if they encounter the Xianbei army again and get robbed again?"
"Isn't that unlucky?"
"I mean, what if? Do we have to pay again? This doesn't make sense!"
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