Chapter 291 Assassination
Chen Zhao stared at the man and said, "I won't pursue the soldiers and people under you, but I will find you. Let me ask you, if the people starve to death, whose head will be held responsible?"
The soldier was still a little unconvinced, "Isn't it just a piece of land? The general just looks down on us, the Phoenix Armor Army that just started out halfway."
"Stop flattering me." Chen Zhao said in a deep voice, "No one looks down on you, you are the one who despises yourself. The prince and princess handed the Qingyun Guard and the Fengjia Army to me, and I treat them equally. If it was the Qingyun Guard that stepped on the farmland, I would still hold them accountable."
"Then just make up for this year's harvest."
"It's easy for you to say, who will make up for it?"
“We make it up ourselves.”
"Stop talking nonsense here." Shen Zhao said coldly: "Military pay is calculated per head. We can't let the soldiers fight on an empty stomach. In the end, the money still needs to be supplemented by the prince and princess."
Chen Zhao held the knife at his waist, "Some of you garrison soldiers joined the camp a few years ago. Those who joined the camp a few years ago know that in the past, the barracks could eat real white flour steamed buns. They were all steamed buns mixed with bran. Where do the steamed buns come from this year? They are shared by the people in the rear from the rations! The prince and princess still eat steamed buns in the rear. Have you ever seen a master who can do this?"
The soldier was stunned, "I..."
"Stop talking nonsense. Now tell me whether you accept it or not."
The soldier gritted his teeth and said, "I obey."
"Just obey, thirty military sticks." Chen Zhao said, "Come here, call the group of people who trampled the farmland over and watch their captain be punished."
The captain was stripped of his armor under the scorching sun, and all around him were the group of people trampling on the farmland. They watched as the military sticks hit him again and again.
The Fengjia Army can be said to be a group of soldiers that have made rapid progress.
What an honor it is to go from being a Ganzhou garrison that had never been on the battlefield to becoming the Fengjia Army that drove out the Western Jue and has never suffered a defeat.
If there is enough glory and grace, the people below will easily become complacent, so both kindness and severity must be used.
Those soldiers dared to be complacent in front of the Qingyun Guards. If Chen Zhao didn't control their temper, the military discipline would be disrupted. They should be given a good beating.
The military sticks fell on the captain again and again, and the soldiers behind him said nothing, and some even turned their heads away.
Chen Zhao watched for a while, and saw Xiao Chuan standing not far away from the corner of his eye. He seemed to have something to say, so he walked over and asked, "Can't bear to watch anymore?"
Xiao Chuan glanced at the other end and said, "It really needs to be dealt with, General. I have other things to do."
The two walked into the tent
, Xiao Chuan raised his chin and pointed, "Someone was arrested."
The man turned around. He was about forty or fifty years old, his face was painted black, and he was wearing patched clothes.
"Where do the refugees come from?" Shen Zhao asked.
Xiao Chuan smiled and said, "You are not an ordinary refugee."
Xiao Chuan signaled, and the soldier immediately stepped forward and splashed water on the man's face, then wiped it with his patched robe, revealing a plump, white and clean face.
"General, have you ever seen refugees who are so white, plump, and clean?"
Shen Zhao walked around the man and looked him over. The man tried to retreat but was firmly held down by the soldiers.
Xiao Chuan said: "This person is not a simple person, he is the famous Prince Lu."
Chen Zhao looked at Xiao Chuan, "Marquis Xuanping sealed off the city and prohibited people from entering or leaving. How did he escape?"
Xiao Chuan kicked Prince Lu on the back and said, "Our general is asking you a question."
Prince Lu was kicked to the ground. He must have been beaten on the way here. He held his head and shouted, "Stop hitting me."
Shen Zhao sat down with a big sword, "Either you tell me nicely, or I will torture you to extract a confession."
Prince Lu is a coward and will tell anything when he is scared.
At the beginning, Marquis Xuanping openly supported the crown prince, but in fact he secretly supported the seventh brother Li Yanchang. Prince Lu lent the place to Marquis Xuanping to raise private soldiers. No matter who between the crown prince and the seventh brother came to power, he would be a meritorious official.
But who would have thought that both of them died, and Marquis Xuanping also lost interest in the throne because of the death of his two sons.
Prince Lu and Marquis Xuanping were tied to the same rope, but even a husband and wife would separate when faced with disaster, let alone those who were driven to be together by profit.
Now that the army was at the gates of the city, Prince Lu had absolutely no intention of sharing the hardship with Marquis Xuanping, so he secretly escaped through a secret passage with his treasures when the city was sealed, but he was caught red-handed.
Shen Zhao thought thoughtfully, "Since he crawled out from the secret passage, we can make use of it."
Xiao Chuan nodded, "Send someone in to investigate the situation in the city first. I feel that Luzhou City cannot accommodate the 70,000 troops of Marquis Xuanping."
He did what he said and sent people to sneak into Luzhou City through a secret passage that day.
Luzhou and Weizhou are 600 miles apart, and a march would take more than half a month, but with fast horses running at a post every ten miles, it only takes three days.
The sun made the ground hot, and Changliu followed Shen Yu holding an umbrella.
They had just inspected the Weizhou granary and found that there was enough food, so they could sustain the fight even if they had to engage in a tug-of-war with Marquis Xuanping.
But the people suffered from the hard work of the soldiers, which was why they were eager to capture Luzhou.
If we can let everything settle within this year
If it is determined, we can start to regulate the states next year.
Enrich the country, strengthen the army, and recruit talented people.
They are already on this path.
Chen Yu seemed to have imagined a prosperous country with a peaceful and prosperous people and full granaries of corn.
The situation where the rich have vast fields and the poor have nowhere to stand will no longer exist.
Changliu poked Sixi's arm and whispered, "The princess seems very happy."
"Open your umbrella, don't let the princess get caught in the sun."
Si Xi declined the offer to stay for a while, but looked a little worried. He thought the princess didn't look well today and wondered if it was due to the summer heat. After returning home, he arranged for people to bring some fruits to relieve the heat.
Shen Yu was bending over the desk doing the accounts, with an abacus beside her.
Military operations are labor-intensive and costly, so even with the support of wealthy merchants like Beilin and Lu, every penny has to be carefully calculated.
"Princess, eat some melon to cool down first." Si Xi said.
Chen Yu didn't even raise her head, "Call Chang Liu in, you and him share the food, just leave one piece for me."
Chang Liu ran in happily, sitting on a small stool and eating until his mouth was full of juice. "This melon is so sweet, Princess, why don't you eat it?"
"I'll finish the calculation first." Chen Yu fiddled with the abacus, "You guys eat."
In addition to supplying food and wages for the troops, Weizhou's granary still had a small amount of food left that could be used for post-war subsidies.
The tea on the table had dried up. Si Xi picked up the teapot and found that it was also empty, so he went out to call the maid to serve tea.
The maid brought the tea into the room, and Si Xi tested it with a silver needle before serving it.
The cup was filled with tea, and Shen Yu reached out to take it. Just as she touched the teacup, she heard Chang Liu shout.
"Princess, be careful!"
Chen Yu suddenly looked up and saw Chang Liu throwing the melon away and rushing towards her.
She subconsciously slapped the edge of the table and leaned back in her chair to avoid the cold light in front of her, but she saw the maid flick her sleeves and white smoke rushed towards her face.
Shen Yu quickly turned sideways and covered her mouth and nose.
In this moment, Chang Liu had already fought with the maid, while shouting, "There's an assassin! Come quickly!"
Si Xi rushed forward and hugged the female assassin's waist from behind.
The assassin was very skilled. While fighting with Changliu, he still found time to stab Sixi in the shoulder with his backhand.
The guards rushed in and there was a crackling noise in the study. The assassin was finally subdued. To prevent him from committing suicide, the guards removed his jaw and he was pressed to the ground, still struggling desperately.
① From Volume 2 of "Continuation of Zizhi Tongjian"
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