Hearing Yang Fan's words, Ye Yu became somewhat hesitant. He stared at Yang Fan, the light in his triangular eyes flickering. When the generals in Ye Yu's tent saw the appearance of their commander-in-chief, they involuntarily pressed down on the swords at their waists. Seeing them move, the black-robed youths disguised as attendants immediately unsheathed their swords.
With a clanging sound, a cold light flashed. The generals were shocked and unconsciously unsheathed their weapons. For a moment, the commander's tent was filled with the glint of swords and shadows of swords, and a murderous air filled the air.
Yang Fan's sharp eyes were fixed on Ye Yu from the beginning to the end. He stared at Ye Yu until Ye Yu didn't dare to look straight at him. Suddenly, Yang Fan burst into laughter and glared at those young men, "What are you guys doing? Do you think that General Ye will rebel? Quickly put away your swords and retreat to the side! "
The black-robed youths glared fiercely at the generals and slowly retreated to the side.
Ye Yu's mind spun and he finally let out a long breath. Turning around, he angrily yelled at his subordinates, "What are you doing? You dare to use swords and spears against an imperial envoy! Squatting all day on your little plot of land, do you think your father is the greatest in the world? A group of bastards that don't even respect the law! "
After Ye Yu's fierce scolding, the generals obediently put away their weapons and slowly retreated to the side.
Ye Yu and Governor Xie did indeed have some relations, but he was not deeply involved.
The prefectural army was declining day by day. Although Master Military Officer Ye still held the position of Subjugation Master Military Officer, the number of soldiers under his command was decreasing. The prefectural army's quota of soldiers and horses should have been eight hundred, but in reality, there were not even four hundred. This was because the landless peasants had either left their villages or become tenants. Without land, they had no obligation to continue serving in the military.
Those who had been granted land needed to serve in the prefectural army, but the equal field system had long since collapsed. Although the equal field system that had been implemented since the Northern Wei Dynasty had once played a positive role, it was only a system that could play a positive role under specific historical circumstances. At that time, the population was withering and the land was barren, so the government could grant equal fields. Once the world stabilized and the population increased, the amount of land that could be given out would be severely insufficient.
Furthermore, even though the Land Equalization Order restricted the buying and selling of land, the farmers who were granted land had limited land and were economically weak. Other than selling their land, they would not be able to survive any natural disasters. Other than selling their land, there was no other way out. It was inevitable for the landlords to annex the land, and as such, the Northern Wei policy was destroyed not long after it was implemented.
After that, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, Sui, and Tang, because of the frequent changes of government, the loss of population, and the desolation of land, were all able to implement this policy in the early stages of founding. But without exception, once the world stabilized and the population increased, the drawbacks of this system were undoubtedly exposed.
Nowadays, the equal field system in many areas was practically useless, and it was only a matter of time before it was abolished. Being in the Official Army, Ye Yu was well aware of the Official Army's current situation. He did not know when the Official Army would be disbanded and where he would go at that time. Therefore, he had long given up on leading the Official Army. He muddled along every day and made some money whenever he could.
For example, a few days ago, people from Fengzhou had urgently purchased 100,000 dans of grain and needed to be transported to Fengzhou. If they had hired laborers in twos and threes, the efficiency would not have been as fast. Official Ye had found him and the other two County Commandants and asked them to help purchase and transport the grain. That was why they had been able to move so quickly.
Using them to do things, the mobilization power and efficiency were far faster than normal people. Their soldiers were originally citizens and only became soldiers during times of war. As long as they didn't wear military uniforms, no one would know they were soldiers on a trip to Fengzhou. In the meantime, they had naturally made a lot of money.
Although they had violated military discipline by doing these things, they were not in cahoots with Governor Xie. The court also knew that the Official Army was having a hard time. Although they were guilty, the punishment would not be too severe. However, if they were to take the risk and go against the imperial envoy, the nature would be completely different.
Thinking of this, Ye Yu made up his mind. He ordered his bodyguard in a low voice, "Bring the talismans and arrows!"
Although Yang Fan looked very calm on the surface, he was actually afraid that the County Commandant would be too close to Governor Xie and that he would do something desperate. Therefore, his tone and expression were stern, and he purposely put on a fearless appearance, hoping to intimidate him with his imposing manner and prevent him from having any disloyal thoughts.
In this day and age, it was common for the Turks, Turks, and nobles to defect from each other. Even the current British Minister Xu Jingye, who was determined to restore Li Tang's throne, would want to escape to a foreign country that was hostile to the Tang dynasty, not to mention these corrupt officials who were not loyal to the emperor and did not love the country.
Now that Ye Yu had finally given in, Yang Fan's heart was finally at ease.
…
Yanzhou had a total of 13 prefectures. Among them, there were three prefectures that surrounded Yanzhou and were stationed near it. According to the names of the prefectures, they were the Fushi Prefectural Army, Jinming Prefectural Army, and Fenglin Prefectural Army. Among them, the Fushi prefectural army was the closest to Yanzhou City, which was also where Yang Fan was rushing to. Therefore, it was also called the Yanzhou prefectural army.
The other two prefectures also sent people. Among these two prefectures, Fenglin Prefecture, according to the information obtained in advance, had the closest relationship with the prefectural officials. The two families were related. Because Yang Fan had another important mission, he went to the nearest Fushi prefecture. Fenglin prefecture was handed over to Gu Zhuting.
Gu Zhuting was dressed as a man. She led a few attendants and went straight to Fenglin prefecture. While Yang Fan's people and Ye Yu's people were in a state of mutual hostility in the commander's tent, Gu Zhuting had just arrived at the Fenglin prefectural army's gate. When Lin Lu, the commandant of Zhe prefectural army, heard the news, he hurriedly invited Gu Zhuting and her people into the commander's tent. He asked for their purpose, but Gu Zhuting talked about all sorts of things to stall for time.
This Lin Lu was actually Governor Xie's brother-in-law. Because Governor Xie fawned on Wei Wang Wu Chengsi, all of a sudden he leaped over the dragon gate and became a high-ranking official. His whole family followed him and moved out of the sparsely populated, desolate and poor Zhenzhou prefecture. Governor Xie's brother-in-law was originally a minor official in Zhenzhou's Ningyuan County. He also followed his brother-in-law and became an official.
Although the Tang Dynasty had a system of avoiding relatives, it was not perfected by later generations. It was not until the middle of the Tang dynasty that the imperial court stipulated that grandfather and grandson, father and son, cousins, and uncles and nephews were not allowed to be officials in the same ministry or department. This was only emphasized in the capital and was not followed locally. Nowadays, the imperial court was not so strict. Weren't the two officials in the same yamen?
Governor Xie and Commandant Lin were not in the same yamen, and there was no direct subordinate relationship between the civil and military forces. Moreover, they were both local officials, so they were not restricted by the family avoidance system. Gu Zhuting knew that this Commandant Lin was Governor Xie's closest relative and had a lot of input into Governor Xie's affairs. It was very likely that he was Governor Xie's best friend. How could she not be extra careful?
She kept putting on airs and putting on the airs of a high-ranking official in the capital, rambling on and on, asking all sorts of questions. She did not get into the main topic until a black-robed guard walked behind her and whispered a few words into her ear. Gu Zhuting nodded her head lightly. She then suddenly stood up. Her originally smiling face became solemn. "Commandant Lin, Zhang Fengchen is inspecting Yanzhou and has investigated Yanzhou Provincial Governor Xie Yubin for many illegal acts. He has decided to bring him to justice! I am here on the orders of the imperial envoy to take over the military camp. Commandant Lin, please immediately hand over the military seal and command arrow! "
When Lin Lu heard these words, he couldn't help but be shocked. Just now, he saw Gu Zhuting was vague with her words, talking about all sorts of things. He secretly raised his guard and quietly ordered the soldiers to lie in ambush around the commander's tent. Now that the envoy really stated his intention, he didn't expect that it was for his brother-in-law.
Lin Lu was deeply involved in Governor Xie's affairs and naturally knew what crime his family had committed. This was a crime punishable by execution.
Lin Lu's face darkened as he stood up. In a deep voice, he said, "This is against the rules! Provincial Governor Xie is a local governor. If he has committed a crime, the Imperial Censor will naturally impeach him and the Ministry of Justice will interrogate him. Why would the Imperial Army come to arrest him? Zhang Fengchen is inspecting the elders in all four directions under the imperial edict. When did he also have the right to interrogate the local officials? "
Gu Zhuting's gaze froze. In a cold voice, she said, "You want to defy the imperial edict?"
Lin Lu was originally just a small official in Ningyuan Academy in Zhenzhou. He originally lacked respect for the law and imperial power. Now that he had risen to the sky in one step and became a general, he was free and unfettered in this Yanzhou prefecture. He was even more daring. How would he be afraid of Gu Zhuting's threat? Hearing this, he coldly smiled and said, "I do not dare to violate the law, but you all …"
Lin Lu suddenly retreated a few steps and flashed to the center of a few fully armed generals. Pointing at Gu Zhuting, he sternly said, "They are scoundrels, pretending to be imperial envoys with ill intentions. Take them all down for me. Those who dare to disobey …"
Lin Lu pointed with his halberd and roared. Before the word "kill" had left his mouth, Gu Zhuting coldly laughed. Her figure flashed and she had already scuttled forward like a ghost. Standing in front, County Military Officer Guo Yi, Chen Chongyun, jumped in fright. The saber in his hand unconsciously slashed towards her. Gu Zhuting's slender waist swayed. With a tap of her foot, she floated past his side.
Chen Chongyun's saber slashed empty air. Military Officer Chu Ziqi hesitantly raised his saber. Before he could stab forward, Gu Zhuting had already spun around. Chu Ziqi only saw a blur in front of his eyes. A figure flashed. His nostrils could only smell a faint fragrance. Gu Zhuting was already behind him.
Lin Lu did not expect this imperial envoy's movement to be so fast. He hurriedly grabbed a general beside him and used him to block in front of him. Gu Zhuting's figure only paused for a moment before she quickly bounced back. She flipped in the air and accurately landed back on her seat. She leisurely picked up the cup of water and lightly said, "Show the banner!"
Looking back at Lin Lu, he was still holding the general's collar to block in front of him. Only half of his throat was exposed. At this moment, blood was spurting from his throat. The warm and salty blood splashed all over the general's head and face. This general seemed to be scared stiff. He maintained the posture of being pulled over diagonally without moving.
So fast!
What a fast movement technique, what a fast move, what a fast move …
But it was unknown if she was using a saber or a sword. At this moment, she was only holding a porcelain cup that was as white as jade. There was no weapon in her hand. There was not even a drop of blood on her body. It was hard to believe that it had just killed someone with its orchid-like palm.
Lin Lu's eyes were wide open. He looked at her in fear. His finger was still pointing in her direction. His throat made a gurgling sound. Suddenly, his body went limp and he collapsed onto the ground.
In front, Chen Chongyun was in a horse stance with his saber in hand. He had not yet retracted his sharp steel saber. Military Officer Chu Ziqi was still maintaining the posture of thrusting his saber. He and Chen Chongyun were on the left and right. They were like two Arhats subduing dragons and tigers. But the dragon and tiger were nowhere to be seen. There were only them standing there, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws.
…
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
