Chapter 180
Lin Shuge asked the soldiers to call Yang Yan and Chu Xu, and told them to take the soldiers to check the surrounding area to prevent the Huns from making any tricks. If retreating the enemy was a Huns' trick, and they were allowed to make a comeback, Qingquan County would be the one to suffer.
"Sir, what did General Wei say in the letter?" Lu Yuechuan saw Lin Shuge take the letter from Black Hawk's legs, read the letter quickly, and smiled, knowing that there must be good news.
"Zhongxuan led his troops to capture the Xiongnu royal city, beheaded Muye Chanyu, and captured a group of Xiongnu nobles. He is leading his troops back now." Lin Shuge folded the letter carefully and put it carefully into his sleeve.
"Really?" Lu Yuechuan cried out in shock, and walked back and forth several times before saying, "Sir, General Wei has made a great contribution this time. He has helped Dayan solve such a serious problem. Once the Huns are destroyed, we can open up the passage to the Western Regions opened up by the previous dynasty, and reproduce the glory of the ancient Silk Road. The prosperity of Dayan..." He was so excited that he was a little incoherent, and kept saying these words back and forth.
The soldiers around who heard that Xie Chen had killed Muye Chanyu were talking about it. "No wonder the Xiongnu soldiers who were besieging us retreated. If they don't retreat, will General Wei and Lord Lin attack us from both sides?"
"General Wei is truly a brave man. He suppressed the Qiang Rebellion and annihilated the Xiongnu. I think he is better than that..."
"Who says it's not true? The key is that he is so young and has achieved such great achievements."
"Keep your voice down, Master Lin is still here."
Lin Shuge smiled and said, "The Huns have retreated. Everyone go back and have a good rest. We will celebrate together tonight."
Lin Shuge took the letter and read it again. Xie Chen only stated in the letter that he would lead his subordinates back to provide assistance. He didn't know whether he was injured or the situation of the rest of the army. He sighed and decided to wait for Xie Chen to come back before asking in detail.
Lin Shuge looked into the distance. The mountains and rivers were vast, and the setting sun melted into gold, illuminating the earth with golden light. The Huns retreated and the city was defended. He finally smiled with relief, but suddenly his eyes went dark and his feet felt light-headed.
"Sir, sir, are you okay?" Lu Yuechuan hurriedly supported him. Lin Shuge shook his head and said, "Nothing, just take a rest."
The two men walked down from the city wall side by side. Lin Shuge lowered his eyes and thought about the Huns' retreat. Xie Chen mentioned that he defeated the army of Zuo Xianwang, so which of the four corners was besieging Qingquan this time?
"Sir." A voice sounded in my ear.
Lin Shuge looked up and saw a dark mass of people in front of him, all of them were the people of Qingquan. The people all had tears in their eyes, expressing their joy at the Huns' retreat and their gratitude to Lin Shuge. After seeing him, someone knelt down and said, "Thank you for protecting Qingquan. Without you, the people of Qingquan would not have survived."
Lin Shuge quickly reached out and pulled him up, "What are you doing? Hurry up, the Huns have retreated, you should go back and rest, why are you all gathered here?"
As soon as he spoke, the rest of the people knelt down and said, "Thank you, sirs."
The voice was so loud that it stopped the clouds from moving. Someone said, "Qingquan County used to be poor and had bad water. In addition, there were bandits who harmed people. I believe everyone knows what kind of life we lived. If you hadn't come here, no one would care about our lives. This time when the Huns besieged the city, you not only didn't abandon the city and flee, but you also worked hard every day without rest, all for the sake of protecting the people in the city. For this great favor," he choked up, "please accept our greetings, sir."
Lin Shuge said quickly: "Protecting the people of a region is the way of an official. How can it be called a great favor? Moreover, we were able to repel the Xiongnu thanks to the help of the soldiers and people in the city. Without you, how could I have repelled the enemy with my own strength? You all deserve my respect."
As he was about to bend down to salute them, several people kneeling in front of him hurriedly grabbed his arms, but accidentally touched his wound. Lin Shuge tried hard not to show any pain.
"Your Excellency, this is unacceptable," the people said in unison.
Lu Yuechuan said, "Everyone, hurry up and get up. If you don't get up, Lord Lin won't get up either. With our posture, people will think that we didn't rely on gunpowder and strong soldiers to repel the enemy, but some kind of kneeling ceremony."
As soon as these words came out, everyone laughed. Lin Shuge took the opportunity to ask the people to stand up and said, "The Huns have retreated. Let's drink in the city tonight and celebrate our victory."
"Well, then we must have a good drink," someone shouted.
The crowd finally dispersed, and Lin Shuge and Lu Yuechuan returned to the county government office. Qingquan had been besieged for such a long time and had not received any news from the outside world. They had not spread the situation here, so they had to report the military intelligence of the past few days to the county governor's office truthfully. Lin Shuge picked up his pen and wrote in one go, detailing Qingquan County's resistance during that period and the several attacks by the Huns. After sealing the letter, he arranged the repairs in the county before returning to the inner house to rest.
The next day, he was awakened by Lu Yuechuan while he was still asleep. Lin Shuge rubbed his sore muscles, got out of bed, opened the door and said, "Achuan, is there something urgent?"
Lu Yuechuan's face was filled with panic, and Lin Shuge's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that the Hun army was coming again?
"What's going on?" Lin Shuge asked in a high voice.
Lu Yuechuan said, "Yesterday, Ah Yan and Ah Xu were ordered by the adults to go out and investigate the Xiongnu's movements. They just returned today. When they came, they brought a runner with them. It turned out to be a runner from Ganzhou County."
Could it be that something happened in Ganzhou? Lin Shuge was extremely anxious, and Lu Yuechuan was also panicking and couldn't get to the point.
"It turns out that the Xiongnu army that besieged us were subordinates of the Right Wise King. They retreated in a hurry after receiving the news that the Xiongnu royal city was broken and General Wei's army would arrive soon. Maybe they didn't get any benefit from spending so much effort besieging us, and they heard that Ganzhou was rich, so they went to plunder Ganzhou before leaving." Lu Yuechuan said.
"So how is Ganzhou doing now?" The two talked as they walked. While they were talking, they had already arrived at the lobby, where they saw Yang Yan and a man standing.
When the two men saw them, they immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Master Lin."
"No need to be polite, tell me what's going on in Ganzhou?"
The officer said, "We heard that the Xiongnu had besieged Qingquan, and everyone in the county was worried. County Magistrate Zhou led us to patrol the area every day to calm people's hearts. But yesterday, the Xiongnu suddenly came to Ganzhou to plunder. The county magistrate thought that the Xiongnu army was approaching Ganzhou, so he abandoned the city and fled."
"What?" Lu Yuechuan was in great pain, shocked and angry. "Ding Wenhong is a local official, but he actually abandoned the people and left the city. This behavior is really unworthy of being the magistrate of Ganzhou."
Lin Shuge was also very angry, but now was not the time to be angry. He asked, "How are the people of Ganzhou? Did the Xiongnu...plunder our people of Ganzhou?"
"Zhou County Magistrate led everyone to defend the city. He had some gunpowder in his hand, so he pretended that there was enough gunpowder in the city and asked Zhang County Lieutenant to lead the county officers to defend the city. When the Xiongnu saw the gunpowder, they thought Ganzhou had been prepared, so they only looted the food and people in Beixiang and left." The officers were heartbroken, "Zhou County Magistrate sent a few of us out to inquire about the news and seek reinforcements."
Lin Shuge was filled with indignation. He was originally from Ganzhou, and when Ganzhou was in trouble, he was more anxious and distressed than anyone else. When he heard that the Huns were looting the people, he wished he could eat their flesh alive.
"Ayan, take him to rest first." Lin Shuge supported his chin with his hand and said in a calm voice.
After the two left, Lu Yuechuan frowned, "Sir, do you want us to go and provide support?"
Lin Shuge smiled bitterly, "How much gunpowder is left in the county? Let Ah Xu take all of it and lead another team."
He was thankful that Zhou Du gave him a batch of gunpowder before he left. Otherwise, with the military strength of Ganzhou County, and the fact that the county magistrate had abandoned the city and fled, the people's morale would have been greatly reduced. I am afraid that not only Beixiang, but the entire Ganzhou would have been lost.
"That's good. Otherwise, with the current situation in Ganzhou, the people are in constant fear. County Magistrate Zhou is alone and can't handle it. I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to survive." Lu Yuechuan said.
"Ding Wenhong is so hateful. He only cares about his own life when facing a powerful enemy. The rats in the Ding family are really cowards. If this matter is resolved, I will let Envoy Wei report him for deserting the battlefield and abandoning the people and the city. I wonder who in the Ding family will dare to speak up?"
"Okay, Achuan, don't be angry. The city wall in the county still needs to be repaired. Because of the Huns, the shops in the county have not been open for some time. There are still many things to do. Let Envoy Wei worry about Ding Wenhong's matter." Lin Shuge comforted.
But speaking of this, Qingquan County was besieged, and the entire army of the Duwei Mansion went out to fight the Huns and no one came to rescue, but how come there was no news from the County Magistrate's Mansion?
Seeing that Lin Shuge suddenly stopped talking, Lu Yuechuan asked, "Sir, what are you thinking about?"
"I was wondering why there has been no news from the County Governor's Office."
Lu Yuechuan also said: "Indeed, Qingquan County has been besieged for such a long time, and our news has not spread. But the county governor's office should not have received any news at all. There has been no news until now. Could something have happened?"
Envoy Wei was ordered to go on the expedition and transport food and fodder, but Jiang Weicheng and others were still in the county magistrate's office. Could it be that something had happened to Envoy Wei?
The two looked at each other, and Lu Yuechuan said, "Three armies are fighting against the Xiongnu, but only General Wei has sent a victory report. There has been no news from the other two armies. In addition, we are surrounded by the Xiongnu army that came from nowhere. So it can only be..."
Lin Shuge nodded, "It should be that something happened to Envoy Wei, and the county governor's office can't take care of us."
"When something happens to Envoy Wei, the food and grass supply will be cut off, and several armies will be affected. I wonder how General Wei broke the Xiongnu royal city and captured the Xiongnu Chanyu despite the shortage of food and grass?" Lu Yuechuan said with a hint of admiration in his tone.
Lin Shuge was about to speak when he heard hurried footsteps.
"Sir, sir, I'm back, I'm back." An officer ran in excitedly and said.
What's coming back? Lin Shuge suddenly stood up from his chair.
"General Wei is back." the officer shouted.
Is Zhongxuan back? Lin Shuge was a little stunned, "He... where is he?" He asked happily, and while speaking he lifted up his robe and walked out.
Before leaving the county government office, I heard a familiar voice coming over, "Brother, I'm back."
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