Chapter 298 "Traitor"
After the Western Shu was occupied by the rebels, they took advantage of the geographical advantage and sealed off all the entrances and exits to Shu with layers of troops.
Fortunately, Shu, known as the Land of Abundance, is rich in products. It does not trade with the outside world and only lacks some less important goods. It can survive well by being self-sufficient.
When the brothers King Chu and King Xiang came together, they had no idea that Shu was blocked so strictly. Without the small token given to them by the Regent, they could not enter Shu at all, let alone their personal safety. Even if they tried their best to sneak in, they would be caught as spies and thrown into prison.
The soldiers guarding Jianmen Pass, although they followed the principle of letting in but not letting out, and checked the number of people passing through the pass every day, which was no more than a few dozen people, they still checked carefully and asked detailed questions.
King Zhao Yuanzuo of Chu looked at the three businessmen who were being carefully checked in front of him, and were suddenly caught by the soldiers without any explanation, tied up and brought into the gate.
"Who is this..." He looked back at the dozen guards he brought with him, and they didn't look like harmless good people!
"Brother Wang, we won't be caught as spies, right?" King Xiang lowered his voice and said to his brother's ear.
"When we get to this gate, we can't run back even if we want to, so let's leave it to fate!" King Chu said in a low voice nervously.
When it was their turn for inspection and questioning, the King of Chu took out a small ebony token and said nervously, "We are here to travel in Shu. If we are not allowed to enter the pass, we will go somewhere else."
The leading officer took the token and looked at it carefully, then respectfully clasped his fists and said, "Dear guests, please enter the pass."
The King of Chu relaxed his nervous heart, put aside his doubts, and took the lead to walk into Jianmen Pass.
From the outside, the extremely dangerous Jianmen Pass was in good order, with teams of soldiers in bright armor training in the distant parade ground, shouting and killing.
King Xiang sighed and said, "The spirit of these rebels is even stronger than that of the imperial guards. Their fighting power must be much stronger. If the two armies fight against each other..."
The young military officer who led the way turned around and smiled, and said arrogantly, "What are the imperial guards? Haven't you heard that the famous generals of the Song Dynasty, Pan Mei and Li Mo, led an army of 60,000 to suppress the bandits and rebellion, but more than half of them were killed, injured or captured by us rebels? Li Mo, the golden eagle and divine arrow, was buried in Shu."
King Xiang shook his head awkwardly and replied unhappily, "I haven't heard of it!"
The young military officer smiled and stopped talking. He led them out of the pass and respectfully saw them off as they entered Shu through the South Gate.
King Xiang sighed again: "The terrain of Jianmen Pass is really amazing. It is sandwiched between two mountains. The north side is steep and narrow, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. The south side can be swooped down and then it is flat. No wonder Jianmen Pass has never been breached from the north since ancient times."
"One man guarding the pass can stop ten thousand men, and the reputation is well-deserved!" King Chu also sighed.
"If the court army wants to recapture Shu in the future, how can this battle be fought?" King Xiang thought about this problem anxiously.
"This matter can be considered by the Song Dynasty's God of War and Regent Zhao Defang. Third brother, we two brothers should have a good time in Shu and stop talking about these things outside, lest we be caught as spies and never be able to return to the capital in this life." The King of Chu reminded his third brother half jokingly and half seriously.
Since it is a tour, it is not just about sightseeing. The key is to experience the different customs and customs of different places.
When passing by a village, the King of Chu pointed with his whip and said, "Let's go into the village and take a look." Then he led the way into the village with great interest.
There are forty or fifty households in the village. The adobe houses have stone foundations, and the half-person-high courtyard walls are mostly made of stones, which look solid and neat.
At the head of the village stood a large locust tree that was so thick that three people could hold it together. Its dense crown spread out like a giant umbrella, providing shade and protection from the rain.
Under the tree were several small stone tables and some wooden blocks scattered around. Several old farmers with gray hair were sitting around a stone table, drinking rough tea and setting up a dragon gate formation.
The King of Chu and the King of Xiang dismounted from a distance and walked forward.
Several old farmers looked at these nobles with curiosity and stood up in fear.
The King of Chu handed the reins to the guards, bowed politely and said, "Excuse me, gentlemen. I am passing by here and would like to ask for some water. Can you help me?"
"Yes, yes!" The old farmer in the lead smiled honestly, and hurriedly took out a large ceramic teapot from under the stone table, and took out several large coarse porcelain bowls from the bamboo basket, placed them on the stone table, and filled them with tea. "
The coarse tea and fresh water are all made by ourselves. Please enjoy them, distinguished guests."
The King of Chu and the King of Xiang thanked them, sat on the low wooden stool beside the stone table, picked up the bowls and drank.
The King of Chu took two sips to moisten his dry throat, put down the tea bowl, and smiled warmly: "Old man, you seem to be living a leisurely life. Didn't the war last year affect your village?"
"How could there be any war?" The old farmer in the lead had a calm smile in his wrinkles. "The imperial army didn't attack us, and we lived a stable life."
An old farmer next to him interrupted, "I heard that a general with golden arrows led his army to sneak in from the Yinping trail, but was defeated by our soldiers from Western Shu, and the entire army was wiped out. That A prodigal general who used gold to make bows and arrows was also shot dead. "
King Xiang was furious and said unhappily: "It was General Li Mo, the golden arrow and divine bow."
The old peasant in the lead immediately became alert and looked up and down at the King of Chu and King Xiang: "From your accent, you are from the capital, right? Are you spies?"
Several old peasants immediately stood up, clenched their fists, and glared at them!
The guards quickly gathered together. Although they did not draw their weapons, they were alert and formed an attacking formation to protect the two noble princes.
The two sides were on the verge of a tense situation due to the unequal strength! ...
The King of Chu quickly ordered the guards to withdraw, and explained with a smile, "My dear father, you have misunderstood. Although we are from the capital, we are definitely not spies, otherwise, how could the soldiers guarding Jianmen Pass let us in?"
King Xiang rolled his eyes and said righteously, "That's right, if we were spies, the soldiers of Jianmen Pass would have arrested us long ago. How could they welcome us into the pass with respect and courtesy and then escort us in with courtesy?"
The soldiers of Jianmen Pass escorted them in with respect and courtesy?
Out of great trust in the soldiers of Jianmen Pass, several old farmers immediately let down their guard, bowed their hands to apologize, and sat down to chat with the distinguished guests.
The King of Chu and the King of Xiang learned a lot of information about Shu from these talkative old farmers.
The so-called rebels and bandits were the benevolent and righteous army in the eyes of the Shu people, and they were definitely their own people. Not only did they not harm the poor people, but they also gave them land to farm and reduced taxes, and only targeted the wealthy and unkind aristocratic families, wealthy and powerful people, and landlords.
The rebel leader "Wu Qiren" was the wise leader who saved the world and helped the people in the eyes of the Shu people. Those rebels and bandits were the soldiers who helped them, the peasants, to rise up and become masters of their own homes. The young men in their families all joined the militia to defend their hometowns.
The more the King of Chu and the King of Xiang listened, the more frightened they became. If this continued, the millions of people in Shu would turn to the rebels and bandits, and the whole nation would be mobilized to fight. It would be extremely difficult for the imperial court to recover Shu in the future!
"Old man, who is the most senior official in charge of Shu now?" King Xiang, who was not sure about the titles of the rebel officials, asked cautiously.
"I heard that the "Wu Junshi" is a strange man who can only be seen from head to tail. I wonder what kind of style he is? The most senior official in charge of Shu now is said to be surnamed Luo, a handsome scholar in his twenties. I have met him once. He is handsome, kind to others, and has no airs of a high official. It is a blessing for the people of Shu to have such a parent official!" The old man became more and more excited.
The King of Chu and the King of Xiang looked at each other and were shocked. This Shu land is really full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, and talented people have emerged!