Chapter 98 Chapter 98 Expanding the Territory
The long-distance cattle station between Li County and Lingzhou has been under construction for quite some time and is now finally officially open to traffic.
The cart was pulled by two oxen for a round trip a day, and the carriage shed was large enough to seat more than ten people.
Nowadays, many people need to travel between Li County and Lingzhou, and the demand for one bus a day is just enough.
The timetable for this train is posted at the entrance of the station. It is very conspicuous and you can see it as soon as you enter.
Chen Sui got up early and bought a ticket at the ticket office at the station in Li County.
The ticket seller was a very kind girl who stamped a red stamp on the ticket and handed it to Lin Sui.
Lin Sui held the ticket in his hand and looked at it curiously. It said seat number 3.
The ticket cost thirty wen, but Chen Sui had a student ID, so he got a discount and only paid 24 wen, which was many times cheaper than renting a horse-drawn carriage.
Although it is called a station, Lixian Station is actually quite different from modern stations. It consists of a small ticket window and a small waiting hall.
Even the chairs in the waiting room only have two rows.
There was still some time before departure and ticket checking, so Chen Sui sat in the waiting room to rest.
Some people had arrived earlier than her, so there were already three or four people sitting in the waiting room. Judging from their age, they were probably not primary school students, but they were carrying the cross-body bags unique to Li County, so they must be middle school students.
Chen Sui also carried a cross-body bag, which was very convenient for carrying things. If you hang some nice ornaments on it, it would also match your clothes.
When Chen Sui first came to Li County to study, he was nervous and excited.
The thirteen-year-old girl always felt a little ignorant of the immensity of the world. She felt that she was so smart and was appreciated by the county lady, so she was allowed to go to the primary school even though she was over the age limit.
Then she must be the most powerful one in the elementary school.
The fact is, some of the kids are not much worse than Chen Sui.
Some people in Li County are also very aware of the importance of educating their own children.
All the students who graduated from the first middle school now have good homes and good jobs. These are ready-made examples.
Therefore, some people advocate that children should not lose at the starting line, and no matter how poor they are, they should not be poor in education.
Chen Sui took out a pancake from her messenger bag. She was a little hungry, but she was afraid that others would not accept it if she ate it in the car.
This was given to her by Xu Bei before she left.
When the Chen family came to Li County to register that day, thanks to Xu Bei's help, Chen Sui often went to Xu Bei after coming to Li County to study.
While Chen Sui was eating, the man next to her with a backpack quietly moved two seats.
"I haven't seen this lady in the middle school. Is she a student in the elementary school?"
Chen Sui nodded.
Dingshui's social nature took over, and the two chatted for a moment before the conductor yelled, "Get on board, tickets checked!"
Ding Shui then stood up and said politely, "If we have any problems in the future, we'll have someone to take care of us in Li County."
Chen Sui had just finished eating his pancake, clapped his hands, got on the wide ox cart, and found his seat according to his ticket.
Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice, "Don't take the ticket, I'll get reimbursed when I get back."
Chen Sui blinked and looked at the boy in front of him who was holding a dogtail grass in his mouth.
Guo Zi didn't expect to meet Chen Sui here.
The two said they didn't know each other, but they had met before. If they said they knew each other, they were not really familiar with each other.
The two didn't even know each other's names.
Guo Zi's expression did not change. He walked to his seat calmly and sat down.
Nowadays, you have to pay for reimbursement if you take public transportation at dawn.
Zhong Diyan said that sending an oxcart for just him wasn't cost-effective. The funding for the Wugengtian mission wasn't exactly a windfall; the cost of a regular mission was substantial. So, he was supposed to sell a ticket for the long-distance oxcart ride, and keep the return ticket for reimbursement.
Since his brother and boss said so, what else could Guo Zi say?
"OK."
With the title of "outstanding graduate" on his shoulders, Guo Zi returned to Li County and spent a day teaching the Wugengtian reserve troops, from how to climb rooftops, how to sneak into rooms without being detected, to how to create a perfect disguise.
He is now somewhat exhausted physically and mentally.
So he went to his seat, closed his eyes, leaned back and wanted to be quiet for a while. A group of half-grown children had been chattering in his ears all day.
As soon as he closed his eyes, he heard the person sitting next to him start talking.
This person seemed to have asked everyone in the oxcart questions, and at the end of each question he would add, "It is really fate that we can be in the same car."
After asking around, it was finally Guo Zi's turn.
"I wonder if this young man is from Li County or Lingzhou?"
Guo Zi was very annoyed. He opened his eyes and said something nonsense, "I'm from Lingzhou."
Ding Shui waved his fan. "My dear, you're actually a local of Xihe Road. How enviable! People like me who are from other places only have temporary residence permits. But I will be able to officially get my Xihe Road household registration in a few days. The hardships along the way will be worth it. I'm so lucky."
Ding Shui looked at Guo Zi's age again. Guo Zi had grown fast this year, almost as tall as Zhong Diyan, but his face still had some of the childishness of a teenager.
Ding Shui saw that Guo Zi had a rather dignified demeanor and was wearing clean clothes, so he asked, "I wonder if you are studying in Li County? You must be a good student."
Chen Sui listened for a long time. She knew that Gouweicao was a spy under the county lord. It looked like he was too lazy to deal with the overly enthusiastic Mr. Ding.
Chen Sui stepped in to help, "Mr. Ding, tell me what we learn in this middle school."
Ding Shui immediately responded enthusiastically, "This middle school has added two new subjects: geography and physics. Physics is a bit difficult, so you really can't get distracted during class, otherwise you won't understand when you come back."
With the chatterbox Ding Shui around, the bumpy ride passed quickly.
Guo got off the ox cart and went straight to Wugengtian's base.
He didn't even notice that Chen Sui had glanced at him several times from behind.
*
Song Zhiyi couldn't sit still at all. Not long after the New Year, he began to collect grain and recruit soldiers.
We have to expand our territory.
His goal is not just this small road.
During the days of rebellion and becoming a local emperor, his ambition had been aroused. He wanted more territory, more taxes, and more people to support him and live a luxurious life.
The young men who were forcibly conscripted by Song Zhiyi cried and shouted when they left home, and kowtowed several times at the door before leaving.
They are called able-bodied men, but in fact they are all as thin as bean sprouts.
But Song Zhiyi didn't care about that. After all, he was able to take over Jinnan Road because of his large number of people.
Even if you can't win, numbers always give you an advantage.
Song Zhiyi calculated and thought that summer was a good time.
Dong San was an ordinary person, and he had powerful generals under his command, so it was easy for him to take over Tongchuan Road.
It's just that his general has a rather strange temper and always causes deaths.
Many of the people sent to serve him have died.
Wu Shuitong finally became pregnant, and her mood became more volatile during pregnancy, which also caused her and Song Zhiyi to become increasingly estranged.
Guo Han is the last spy left in Jinnan Road, and she has to retire today.
Wu Shuitong wiped her tears with a handkerchief, "Madam Lujiang is really leaving?"
Guo Han shook his head and sighed, "My fate with this girl ends here. I have helped her fulfill her long-term wish, so it is time for me to go."
Ever since the plan to seize Song Zhiyi's territory was formulated, the troops' training has never been relaxed, not to mention the weapons produced by the arsenal.
What made Lin Si rack his brains was not manpower and weapons, but military rations.
Lin Si not only wanted the soldiers to have enough to eat, but also wanted them to eat well.
Injuries are inevitable in war, so the students of the Technical School's nursing major will also be moving forward this time, and several doctors from the entire Xihe Road have been selected to serve as accompanying military doctors.
Led by Tang Xing.
Everything is always ready, only the east wind is missing.
The strategy was also formulated in great detail. Nan Shuang and Nan Qiao led one team, and Yin Sheng led another team to encircle the enemy from the front and back.
The entire Jinnan Road was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere.
In every household, all male members, except for half-grown children and elderly men who could not be moved, were conscripted.
Most people understand that there is no hope of survival if they go there.
Yin Sheng and his team were lurking near Sizhou City in Jinnan Road. As soon as Song Zhiyi left, they would occupy Sizhou City first.
Yin Sheng and others were wearing camouflage uniforms, and the troops had experience in survival in the wild.
As a result, the general under Song Zhiyi had no idea that there were people lurking in the bushes.
Song Zhiyi was still at home dreaming, drinking and waiting for good news.
Suddenly, he heard a commotion outside the palace. He stumbled inside, "Oh no, my lord! A group of thieves have entered the city from nowhere, claiming to be the subordinates of the Anping County Lord. All the tribes have been controlled, and the people have also defected!"
In fact, it is very simple to make the people defect. When Yin Sheng entered the city, he just shouted that the Princess of Anping was merciful and could not bear to see the people of Jinnan Road suffer, so he came to rescue the people. As long as the people stayed in the houses, he would give everyone food after taking Jinnan Road!
Now not only did the people hide obediently, but some were even brave enough to do so.
"Sir! The thief Song's residence is just ahead. I will lead the way for you!"
Song Zhiyi was panicking. There were no soldiers in the city! He transferred 80% of his troops to fight Dong San.
Song Zhiyi thought for a moment, picked up his weapons, and planned to defend the city with only 20% of his remaining troops.
Then came even more devastating news: "All the conscripted soldiers have surrendered."
Song Zhiyi immediately understood that the other party did it on purpose, otherwise why would he choose today?
He was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. Wu Shuitong's father and brother were also panicked. The three of them were in a panic but finally decided to run away first.
If they were to run away, they would have to take someone with them. Wu Shuitong was definitely one of them, but Song Zhiyi insisted on taking this concubine or that concubine with him, which made Wu's father very angry.
"You can pamper those women normally, but why are you still keeping them around when disaster strikes? They're nothing but a burden!"
Song Zhiyi gritted his teeth and had to give up.
Wu Shuitong was pregnant and didn't know what was going on. When she heard that it was the Anping County Lord who came in, she was so scared that she almost fainted.
She clasped her hands on the table, anger and despair filling her heart. "The Princess of Anping is a woman, is she really going to rebel? Women should stay at home. What on earth is she trying to do?"
She forced herself to calm down and go look for Song Zhiyi and her father and brother.
As a result, when Wu Shuitong heard outside the door that Song Zhiyi was going to bring that group of concubines, she became furious and pushed open the door and rushed in.
"Song Zhiyi, you bastard, I'm going to fight you. Let's die here together today! My life is ruined if I marry you."
Wu Shuitong was also furious. Not only did she slap Song Zhiyi several times, she also pulled his hair hard.
Wu's father and brother tried to stop the fight, but Song Zhiyi pushed Wu Shuitong hard, and Wu Shuitong's head hit the corner of the table.
She fell to the ground, holding her head with her hands, her face in agony: "Father, brother..."
Seeing this, one of the three men said, "Don't worry about her. It's too late if we don't run away now."
Wu Shuitong fell on the cold ground until she completely lost consciousness.
The transmission of signals and messages was extremely fast. As soon as Sizhou City was captured, Lin Si and Liang Nian had to show up there to see who was still on Song Zhiyi's side since Jinnan Road had been occupied by him for so long.
Zhong Diyan summarized the information about officials that Guo Han and the other two had found on Jinnan Road, and Lin Si and Liang Nian also read it before they went.
Of course, those county magistrates mentioned by Song Zhiyi cannot be accepted. They are either from the Wu family or have followed him in battles. They can't even read a single word, and yet they are serving as county magistrates.
As for those who are still capable, it depends on their attitude.
How could Song Zhiyi escape? The three of them were tied up and made to kneel in front of Lin Si.
Song Zhiyi made a humming sound, as if he wanted to say something.
Lin Si looked disdainful and said, "Just take him out and deal with him. We still need to keep this house for office use in the future. Don't let it bring bad luck to us."
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