The silence of the common people made the atmosphere stiffen. There were two paths in front of them. The first path was a beautiful future with fertile land and three layers of taxes. Such a life was simply hope, but the reality was that they might starve to death before they could live. The second path was no fertile land and heavy taxes, but they wouldn't starve to death and could live on. It was believed that the majority of the common people would definitely choose the second path and not the first. These were the common people, these were the ordinary people of the Han Dynasty.
"Food, food!" Xu Shu was also muttering to himself. To be honest, he did not want the people of Shouchun to be buried with them. He gradually lowered his head.
"What's wrong? Can't speak? Refute me again! Let me tell you, Lord Xuande's army is outside the city gate. You'd better let me go and surrender as soon as possible. Otherwise, when the city is breached, it will be the day of your death! "Liu Bei's spy, who was surrounded by two guards, was still very arrogant.
"Haha, who told you that our army is short of food?" Xu Shu suddenly raised his head. There was a kind of spontaneous confidence in his face. This confidence was very easy to infect others, making the people below feel as if they were bathing in the spring breeze.
"There is still food in Shouchun?" Even the spy of Liu Bei's Army began to have a trace of hesitation. The food in Shouchun had been used up. After all, there were millions of people. How could there be any extra food? However, seeing Xu Shu's confidence, the spy became less confident.
"Of course there is!" Xu Shu replied with certainty. "We not only have food, but also a lot of storage. It is enough to last until next year's harvest."
"Haha, you make it sound nice. If there are still provisions in Shouchun, why do you want to reduce the provisions for the common people? Obviously, you don't have enough provisions. You want to sacrifice the common people to defend this city. Or perhaps, you want the common people to die with you!" The spy sneered. He was almost deceived by Xu Shu. If there was really food in Shouchun, then why did Liu Mang's army invade Yuzhou? If there was really food, then why did Lü Bu in Lujiang mobilize so slowly? If he really had provisions, why would he reduce the food supply for the common people? This would bring great panic to Shouchun!
"That's right, that's right. If there's enough food, why would they reduce our food? Four dou was enough to fill one's stomach with some leftovers. Three dou was just enough to fill one's stomach. Two dou was enough to fill one's stomach. Two dou was enough to fill one's stomach. Two dou of food was only enough to fill one's stomach. Adding on the energy used to do some things, one's stomach would go hungry. Although the commoners didn't care about going hungry, as long as they didn't starve to death, it was better to have a full stomach than to go hungry!
"We have tens of thousands of grain and provisions in Shouchun. They are enough for the people to use until next spring. But we need to plan ahead. Not only do we need to look ahead, we also need to look ahead. What if tomorrow is a year of drought? What if there is a flood tomorrow? Moreover, your army has besieged my Shouchun. Many of my fertile fields have been left empty, and many of the seeds that have been planted have been destroyed by you! How are we going to eat in the coming year? You are trying to force us to death! " Xu Shu's mouth was like a sharp sword. It was even better than his martial arts. He directly blamed Liu Bei's Army for the reduction of food. He was telling the people that Liu Bei's Army outside the city was the one who caused them to go hungry. They not only besieged the city, but also destroyed the land. They were not going to eat in the coming year. They were preparing for a rainy day.
The anger of the commoners was ignited once again. This damn Liu Bei's Army destroyed our land. They wanted to starve us to death!
"Preparing for a rainy day? Once is enough. Why do you have to reduce it twice?" "If it's to prepare for a rainy day, then three dou of food per person would be enough. At least let them eat their fill! If they don't even have enough to eat, what else could it be other than a lack of food? "
"The first time was indeed to prepare for a rainy day. The second time, Xu Shu apologizes to all of you!" Xu Shu suddenly knelt down and directly knelt at the entrance of the market with Xie Wen.
"Apologize? Haha, were the provisions burned by fire or were they stolen by someone? I knew you had an excuse, but you can't change the fact that there is a shortage of provisions in Shouchun! " "No matter what the excuse is, there is indeed no provisions in Shouchun. The problem everyone is facing is that they could starve to death at any time."
"It wasn't set on fire, nor was it kidnapped. Instead, it was corrupted by this man, the ration officer, Xie Wen!" Xu Shu suddenly pointed at Xie Wen and scolded him. "When we were besieged by the rebels, when Shouchun was in danger, this person only cared about himself. Not only did he neglect his duty, but he also changed the military order. He obviously didn't give the order to change the rations to two dou, but in order to fill his own pockets, he hid it from his superiors and bullied the commoners. He took away their rations and changed it to two dou! Fortunately, this official inadvertently found out that this person was going against the flow, so it didn't cause serious consequences. Today, I specially came to the execution ground to let everyone decide how to deal with this person! " Xu Shu pointed at Xie Wen and scolded him. He threw the matter of changing the rations to two dou onto Xie Wen. Xu Shu was also helpless. Zhao Yun had good intentions. He wanted to save the rations so that everyone could last longer, but Pang Tong had a psychological attack. Zhao Yun's saving rations was exactly what the enemy wanted. Xu Shu had no choice but to raise the rations. However, just raising the rations alone couldn't hide the fact that there was a shortage of provisions. Therefore, someone had to bear the consequences. The commoners didn't know who had the authority to distribute the rations. Zhao Yun was a general. Even if Xu Shu killed Zhao Yun, it would be useless. Moreover, without Zhao Yun, Xu Shu wouldn't be able to defend Shouchun. Therefore, he had to sacrifice someone that the commoners could trust and take the blame for this!
This person was Xie Wen. As Xu Shu spoke, he began to cry. His tears were not because of Xie Wen's corruption, but because he was helpless. In order to appease the hearts of the soldiers, he could only sacrifice Xie Wen. He was crying for Xie Wen, but also for his own incompetence.
"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!" The people below were furious. So it wasn't because of the lack of food in the city, but because of this corrupt official. It was he who caused everyone to not have enough to eat. Wasn't this making everyone's lives difficult?! This kind of person shouldn't be killed!
"No, no!" Just as Xu Shu was filled with sorrow and the people below were stirred up, a voice full of panic and disbelief was heard. The owner of this voice was a weak woman. She had finally reached the execution ground with the help of two men, but she was stopped by the guards. "No, Wen is not such a person. Xie Wen, say something, say something!"
"Who is she?" Xu Shu frowned. Who was this woman? The expressionless Xie Wen finally opened his mouth.
"Wan 'er! Why are you here? Go back, go back! "Xie Wen's expression had a trace of excitement as he shouted.
"Wan 'er?" Xu Shu looked at Xie Wen's expression and naturally knew who this person was. It should be the woman that Xie Wen entrusted to him.
"Let her come in!" Xu Shu sighed and said. He had no choice but to kill Xie Wen. Therefore, Xu Shu wouldn't treat Xie Wen like a criminal. Letting Xie Wen and his wife see each other before Xu Shu's death was already the best Xu Shu could do.
"Wan 'er, Wan' er!" Xie Wen's hands were tied. Wu Wan 'er went up and hugged Xie Wen.
"Wen, tell them that you aren't such a person. You aren't such a person!" Others didn't know Xie Wen but Wu Wan 'er knew that Xie Wen was a true man. A man with an indomitable spirit. Let alone corruption, if there was a shortage of food in the granary, this person would even put in his salary. If he was corrupt, how could Xie Wen's family only have four dou of food a day? Therefore, it was impossible for Xie Wen to be corrupt. "Master, it's impossible for my husband to be corrupt. I beg you to look into it!" Then Wu Wan 'er directly knelt in front of Xu Shu and kowtowed to him. Her kowtow heavily hit the ground and Xu Shu's heart.
"Master, I can testify that Mrs. Xie is right. It's impossible for Brother Wen to be corrupt!" The two men on the side also spoke. Although Xie Wen had lost an arm, in their eyes, Xie Wen was like a hero in the opera. He was righteous and principled. How could he be corrupt?
"Wen, speak! Speak!" Wu Wan 'er shook Xie Wen and shouted while kowtowing to Xu Shu.
"Haha, so he is just a scapegoat!" Liu Bei's spies were truly worthy of being able to infiltrate Shouchun. They were able to see through the entire situation. The Ration Officer was a scapegoat. He was a scapegoat. He was a scapegoat. He was a scapegoat. He was a scapegoat. He was a scapegoat. "Brother Xie, speak your mind. Everyone is here. Tell everyone that you've been framed. Tell everyone that there's no more food in the granary! There are so many people here. He won't dare to do this to you! "
Xu Shu didn't say anything and just looked at Xie Wen. If Xie Wen really said that he was wronged, then everything would be over. Xu Shu had only brought a few dozen White Horse Followers, but now there were thousands of civilians. Once they rushed over, there would be no other choice but to be killed.
"I!" Xie Wen's expression was very conflicted. Looking at his wife beside him, he bit his lip so hard that it bled. Meeting her was the greatest happiness in his life. He had told her that he would accompany her until they were old. They had even thought of the names of their children in the future. The boy would be called Xie Qian, and the girl would be called Xie Yu! If he was killed, then they would be separated from each other. They would not even be able to see their unborn child.
"Xie Wen, speak!" Xu Shu was also very indifferent. He really felt that he owed Xie Wen. This person was from the Pengzhou Army. He had fought for Lü Bu and Liu Mang for many years. He had risked his life countless times and even lost an arm. This was what the Lvbu's Army owed him. It was difficult to repay. But now, he had to sacrifice himself for Shouchun. Xu Shu thought that he was very cold-blooded, but he really could not bear to do it now. If Xie Wen really said that it was a wish, Xu Shu would not blame him. If he wanted to blame someone, then he could only blame himself for not being good enough.
Xie Wen suddenly raised his head. This action simply made Liu Bei's spy smile. Liu Mang's spy in the dark sighed deeply. It's over, it's over. Shouchun is over. The people were already very angry about the military provisions. If they were to break their promise to the people, then everything would be over.
"Let's go!" Liu Mang's spy captain sighed and shouted to his men.
"Huh? Captain? Where are we going? "His men did not understand.
"Where are we going? I will go to Lujiang and Guangzhou to find the Lord! Shouchun can't be defended anymore! " The intelligence captain looked at the bustling Shouchun and could not help but shake his head. The Lu Bu's Army had invested all of their energy into Shouchun. Hundreds of thousands of gold, hundreds of thousands of provisions were all here. Originally, there was an industrial area here, there was a night market here! There were also rows of houses that were said to be made of cement. However, all of this was over. Shouchun had fallen. Everything was either destroyed or left to the enemy.
The spy seemed to understand but did not. When he was about to leave with his captain, Xie Wen suddenly shouted. "I am the one who embezzled. I am the one who cut off your rations. I am the one who let you not eat your fill. So what? You bunch of lowly people deserve to have fertile land and enjoy 30% of the taxes. I want you bunch of lowly people to starve to death. Haha, haha, haha! " Xie Wen laughed maniacally. Only Xu Shu could see the tears in the corners of Xie Wen's eyes.
"No, no, Wen, you are not like this. You are not such a person!" Wu Waner still wanted to say something, but she was stopped by the guards. Xu Shu promised Xie Wen to take good care of Wu Wan 'er. Naturally, he would not go back on his words. Moreover, Wu Wan' er was pregnant. Therefore, Xu Shu asked two guards to separate Wu Wan 'er.
"Wan 'er, I am sorry!" Xie Wen looked deeply at his wife. "Maybe, maybe I will not be able to accompany you until you are old. Maybe, maybe I will not be able to see our child born. I am sorry! If there is an afterlife, I am willing to use my whole life to repay you! " Xie Wen said these words to Wu Wan 'er in his heart. As for whether she could hear it or not, Xie Wen did not care so much.
"Impossible, how is this possible?" There was another person who did not dare to believe it. That was the spy in Liu Bei's Army.
"This damn thing said that we are lowly people. Then what is he? It is him. He is the one who let us not eat our fill. It is him. He is the one who let us wrongly accuse Military Advisor Xu. Everyone, hit him, hit him! " The commoners below discussed and looked at Xie Wen coldly. They could not hit Xie Wen because the White Horse was blocking them, but they could pick up small stones and throw them at him.
When Xu Shu heard Xie Wen's words, his heart was filled with joy. However, he also felt a sense of helplessness and self-blame. However, he immediately calmed down. Sacrifices and contributions were required for the country. It wasn't that Xu Shu was ruthless, it was the world that was ruthless. If the world was peaceful and prosperous, would such a scene occur? Xu Shu was a little bit surprised. Now, Xu Shu was even more determined to help Liu Mang unify the world.
"How dare you, Xie Wen. You are paid a salary by the Emperor, but you do not help the Emperor. You even ignored the lives of millions of people for your own selfish interests. This is a heinous crime. Today, I will enforce justice on behalf of the Heavens. I will kill you for the sake of the people of Shouchun. Men, behead Xie Wen!" After saying that, Xu Shu threw the arrow of command and an executioner came over. He held a large knife and pointed it at Xie Wen's head. In the face of death, Xie Wen seemed to have accepted everything. He calmly closed his eyes and said, "Brothers, I am coming!"
"No!" Accompanied by Wu Wan 'er's mournful cry, blood splattered and a large head fell to the ground. Xie Wen's headless body also lost control and fell to the ground. Wu Wan 'er also fainted along with Xie Wen.
"Help Madam Xie down!" Xu Shu owed Xie Wen a lot. He could only help Wu Wan 'er get rid of the guilt in his heart.
"Everyone, the main evil has been eliminated. Does anyone have anything else to say?" Xu Shu cupped his fist and said to the people below. The people below naturally had nothing to say. Although they had complained about the reduction of their rations, now that Xie Wen had been killed, their complaints had disappeared. Moreover, the blood splattering from Xie Wen's head had frightened many people. Now, even the sound of a needle falling to the ground could be heard.
"If not, then I have something to say. Xie Wen is dead. The original three buckets became two buckets. Now, it is three buckets. Those who have taken their rations can go and get one more buckets. Those who have not taken their rations can get three buckets."
"Military Advisor, what are you doing!" The guards at the side did not understand. They were really short of rations. Originally, Zhao Yun had reduced the rations to last longer. He had also killed Xie Wen to stall for time and stabilize the morale of the army. However, Xie Wen had already died. You still want to give the rations to the people? Wasn't Xie Wen's death in vain?
Xu Shu did not explain on the spot. Xu Shu did not do this because Xie Wen had died in vain. He had no choice but to do so. The people were pitiful because they had always been the target of bullying. Whether it was the rise of a dynasty or the fall of a dynasty, the unlucky ones were the people. However, there was another name for the people among the people. They were called unruly people and foolish people. Pitiful people were also hateful. They were very easy to be influenced by others. The only thing that could completely stabilize their hearts was profit! What could be seen and touched in front of them was what could truly move the people's hearts. You can tell him how much you will get next year. I only want 30% of the tax. How much rations will you get? He might just smile and not feel anything after that. Just like Xie Wen's death, although it had frightened them, it had also stabilized them!
However, this stability wouldn't last long. They might forget about it the next day after they woke up. They might even continue to be fooled into thinking that the two buckets of rice were because there wasn't enough food in Shouchun. They wanted to starve to death! Now, Xu Shu was giving them real benefits. This way, they would be able to see it and touch it. Even if they forgot about it, when they saw the rations in their hands and their own full stomachs, they would remember that a rations officer was killed at the entrance of the market today. Shouchun would not starve them to death.
"Good plan, good plan!" Now, the spy from Liu Bei's Army was finally convinced. He could see that this was a show to divert the hatred. However, the commoners could not see it.
"It's not a good plan. I really do have rations in the city!" Xu Shu said to the Liu Bei Army spy.
"Report!" A messenger suddenly came forward on his horse. "Reporting to the military advisor. Our army's rations have arrived at the water stronghold. How should we deal with it?"
"Deal with it? Put it in the storehouse! Oh, that's right. Let's take a look first. Let the common people and this warrior from Yu Province see if my Shouchun is really lacking in food.
"Yes!" The messenger received the order and left. Following that were carriages of provisions. Large carriages followed behind them. If one were to count carefully, there were at least tens of thousands of stones.
"How can it be! How can it be! " The Liu Bei Army spy was really speechless. Those rations and carriages were not deceiving. These were enough to feed Shouchun for half a month.
Yes, it was only enough to feed Shouchun for half a month! These rations were all the rations in Shouchun. Xu Shu brought them all out to let the people and Liu Bei Army spy see that there was still a lot of rations in Shouchun. Don't waste your time trying to sow discord. Guarding against a thief for a thousand days will eventually be stolen. So, it was better to dispel this thief's thoughts.
"Impossible! Impossible!" This Liu Bei Army spy was not just half of the people. He had followed Liu Bei for a long time and had already infiltrated Shouchun. After Guan Yu was driven out of Shouchun by Liu Mang's army, Pang Tong had sent a spy to join Shouchun.
It could be said that this spy was able to find out every movement in Shouchun. He clearly found out that there was not much rations in Shouchun and there was only enough for half a month. All signs showed that this was true. But now, there was an extra half a month's worth of rations.
"Half a month, half a month!" This spy was not stupid. His eyes were sharp and he could think easily. If he did not have a brain and good eyesight, how could he become the person in charge of Liu Bei Army in Shouchun? These two were too coincidental! He looked at the carriages and suddenly understood. "Haha, haha." I know, I know! Xu Shu, Xu Shu! You are indeed worthy of being Mister Shui Jing's disciple. Your plan is really one step after another. Unfortunately, your plan is superfluous! " The spy sneered. His reaction attracted the attention of the people below.
"What are you trying to say?" Xu Shu's heart tightened. Who was this spy? What did he see?
"What I want to say is that you only have half a month's worth of rations left in Shouchun!" Liu Bei's spy sneered.
"Half a month's worth of rations? Haha, are you crazy? Can't you see that we have tens of thousands of stones here? It is enough to last for half a month! " The guard at the side retorted. The rations in the carriages on the official road were enough to last Shouchun for half a month. How could there be a shortage of rations?
"Haha, this is all the rations in Shouchun!" The scout from Liu Bei's Army pointed at the carriages and said.
"Huh?" Xu Shu's eyes sharpened. He did not expect that the spy from Liu Bei's Army could see through it. A murderous intent rose!
"What? Do you want to silence me? " The spy shouted. "Everyone, everyone, come and see. The dignified Military Advisor of Yangzhou wants to silence me!" Liu Bei's spy successfully attracted the attention of most of the people.
"Military Advisor, do you want to?" The guard at the side asked Xu Shu. As long as he moved his knife, he would be able to silence the spy from Liu Bei's Army forever. This would also save him from being noisy.
"No need!" Xu Shu shook his head. It was not that he did not want to kill the spy, but he could not kill him now because most of the people were watching. If he were to kill the commoners now, it would raise suspicions. Moreover, Xu Shu was not sure if Liu Bei's spy had really seen through him or if he was just deceiving him. He wanted to create chaos so that he would give himself away.
"Speak! I, Xu Shu, would like to see what advice you have! "Although Xu Shu called the spy 'Mister', his words were full of ridicule.
"Military Advisor Xu Shu, you really have a good temperament. I am really ashamed of my inferiority!" The spy from Liu Bei's Army cupped his hands towards Xu Shu. To be honest, if they were not serving different masters, he really wanted to make friends with Xu Shu. However, it was not possible now.
"Military Advisor Xu Shu, your messenger just now, where did these rations come from?" The spy from Liu Bei's Army asked indifferently.
"Did you lose your ears? Didn't you hear the messenger say that they came from Shouchun Water Camp?" The guard at the side scolded the spy from Liu Bei's Army.
"Of course there is no problem with my ears. The problem is with you!" The spy from Liu Bei's Army sneered.
"Not good!" Xu Shu's heart skipped a beat when he heard this question. This person had really seen through him. Xu Shu regretted that he had made an unnecessary move. Xu Shu's hand involuntarily touched the long sword beside him. Xu Shu's swordsmanship was very fast. It was better for him to make the people suspicious than to be exposed now. He was about to step forward and kill this spy with a single strike.
However, I did not expect that the spy's speed was even faster. When Xu Shu attacked, he immediately turned around. "If I don't attack now, when will I?" With the shout of the spy from Liu Bei's Army, many spies from Liu Bei's Army came out from the crowd. Although they were wearing cotton clothes, they were holding sharp swords in their hands.
"Protect the military advisor, protect the military advisor!" The White Horse Constables on the side instantly formed a military formation and shouted loudly.
"Alright, Military Advisor Xu Shu, now you don't want to kill me, right?" The spy from Liu Bei's Army sneered. "Fellow villagers, the provisions that Military Advisor Xu Shu said were not taken from Shouchun Water Camp. They were taken from Shouchun's warehouse. If they came from the Water Camp, these carriages would be stained with water or mud. However, these carriages have nothing except dust. That means that these carriages did not come from the Water Camp!" This spy from Liu Bei's Army really has sharp eyes. He can see such a small difference. He can see that the carriages did not come from the Water Camp.
"Yes, yes, there is a road in the Water Camp. It is very muddy and difficult to walk on. Although it has been repaired several times, it has become mud because of the rain. Therefore, if the carriages came from the Water Camp, they must have been stained with mud. But these carriages are so clean!" Could it be that there was no more provisions in Shouchun? The commoners were once again in chaos.
If there was really no more provisions in Shouchun, the commoners might explode and open the gates to welcome Liu Bei's Army into the city.
"Fellow villagers, what are you waiting for? How many days can these provisions last you? Do you want to starve to death after eating? Hurry up and open the gates. Lord Xuande's Army is waiting for you with a generous amount of provisions! " This spy from Liu Bei's Army really knows how to bewitch people. When he said this, the commoners' view of the White Horse Constables changed.
"Whoever can take down Xu Shu, Lord Xuande said that not only will he reward you with a hundred gold, but he will also give you a high official position. The position of Shouchun Governor will be yours!"
With a high reward, there will be brave men. Money can make even ghosts push millstones. This spy from Liu Bei's Army really knows how to manipulate people's hearts. When he said this, some of the commoners who were originally from Shanyue and the bandits had their own ideas. The Shouchun Governor! This was a very high official position! As long as they could take down Xu Shu, it would be enough! Although Xu Shu had the White Horse Constables, there were only a few dozen of them. As for them, they had more than a thousand people. With such a ratio, they could definitely take down Xu Shu.
Just as Xu Shu was about to fall into a life and death situation, a warhorse suddenly rushed over. "Reporting, reporting to the military advisor. My Shouchun Navy has sent over a hundred thousand shi of provisions. How should the military advisor place them?"
"A hundred thousand shi of provisions?" The spy from Liu Bei's Army was stunned. He then sneered, "What? Military advisor Xu Shu, are you still trying to play the truth and lies? "
"A hundred thousand shi of provisions?" Xu Shu was also stunned. When did he do such a thing? Moreover, the messenger from before was the White Horse Constables in disguise. This person was really a soldier from the navy. "Let them transport it over!" Xu Shu blurted out this sentence under the influence of gods and demons. The messenger accepted the order and left.
"Perhaps there really is provisions in Shouchun!" The commoners below also began to discuss. They looked at Xu Shu unkindly because Xu Shu had lied to them. Rather than die, it was better to capture Xu Shu. Now that there really seemed to be provisions, they naturally would not take the risk!
"Haha, provisions? I will wait for you to board for a while. This Shouchun city is mine! "The commoners did not make a move. With the protection of the White Horse Constables, Liu Bei's Army could not do anything to Xu Shu.
"Boom, boom, boom!" If Xu Shu's fake grain transport cart was just a perfunctory act, then this wave of grain transport was the real deal! Hundreds of carriages carrying grain directly rushed to the Shouchun junction!
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