Chapter 2496 Qingzhou Ball


    Yingchuan.


    Although it has entered mid-autumn, the sun at noon still has some power of summer.


    ??Zeji, with his team of twenty-three men in total, was slowly walking south along the dusty road.


    Zeyi was actually as tired and tired as his soldiers, but he couldn''t show it. He was just a small leader, and he was still a leader with less than 100 soldiers. His mission is to patrol the Yingchuan area to ensure that the grain transportation channels from the surrounding areas are not disturbed.


    Zeji was originally just a chief, with only ten people under his command. He didn''t know much about writing and didn''t know much about arithmetic. He thought that he was almost at the end of his career and would not be able to move up. But things change forever, especially when war breaks out.


    The Zeji team participated in the attack on the Jiangdong Army during the Battle of Qingxu, and fought on the front line from the moment Cao Cao moved south. In two or three battles with the Jiangdong Army, Cao Jun completely defeated the Jiangdong Army in Xuzhou. The offensive can be regarded as a staged victory, but the result of this victory does not mean that Cao Jun will be unscathed.


    ??It seems like the battle losses of Zeyi''s team were more than half.


    One team has five shi, and one team has two shi. As for Zeyi''s team, after the Qingxu battle, the commander of the team was killed, the other two commanders died of injuries, and the other two were still recovering from their injuries. The only one left was Zeyi himself, so naturally He became the leader of the fake team and took over the remaining soldiers in the team.


    The additional soldiers have not arrived yet.


    After all, the supplementary soldiers in a formation like Ze''s are different from those of ordinary Yingchuan soldiers.


    ?So the Zeji team was assigned to the area north of Yingchuan, and was temporarily responsible for patrolling the grain transportation channel. After all, this is a relatively easy way, and it can also be regarded as a kind of psychological treatment in the Han Dynasty given by superior officers to a team like Zeyi who has suffered a lot of losses.


    The road they are responsible for is actually the area to the north of Yangcheng. They set off every morning and come back at night. They repair it in the camp one day apart and then repeat.


    There are some veterans left in the team.


    Those who are young and reckless run out of luck early and die on the battlefield.


    ?Suddenly, Zeyi heard the sound of a series of rapid horse hooves in the distance, and then he looked up and saw smoke in the distance. Fortunately, it seems that not many people came to ride. He immediately ordered the soldiers to disperse in order to deal with possible emergencies. Soon the sound of horse hooves was approaching. Zeyi squinted his eyes and put his hand on the awning. He saw that there were only two knights coming, one behind the other. They were wearing casual clothes, but there was an eye-catching copper bundle hanging on the horse''s forehead.


    "A son of aristocratic family..." Zeyi muttered in a low voice, "I don''t know which family he is from..."


    ? Bronze is hard currency, so generally speaking, ordinary horses will not be equipped with higher-end saddles, let alone additional decorations on the horse''s head and neck.


    Zeji stretched out his right arm and waved it several times to signal the visitor to stop. He has the right to inspect any person or transport convoy passing this road, except for military intelligence horses.


    ??The knight held the reins obediently, and the horse stopped accurately five steps away from Zeyi. Zeyi could even feel the hot breath coming from the horse.


    Show your fault! 』


    Ze Xi shouted loudly.


    ?The rider in front turned his head slightly, and the rider behind him dismounted, walked up to Zeyi, took out a copy of the certificate from his arms, and handed it to Zeyi.


    The passage shows that this is an official from Yingyang, Yingchuan.


    Yingyang? 』Zeji is not familiar with the ground of Yingchuan, so he doesn''t know how far Yingyang is from Yangcheng. But judging from the experience, this is a formal document and there is nothing wrong with it.


    Not every soldier can know the map of China, or have a relatively overall concept at every turn. Just like in TV movies, a small team leader can know everything about astronomy and geography...


    ?So Zeyi naturally found no problem and returned the pass to Lai Qi.


    Lai Qi took the document, but did not shake the reins and leave immediately. He looked down at Zeyi on his horse and suddenly asked, "Qingzhou soldiers?" 』


    Although Zeyi felt a little surprised, he still replied unambiguously: "Why do you ask this?" 』


    “Sure enough, I guessed it right, haha. 』


    ?The man pointed at Ze''s neck, and Ze''s understood immediately.


    There are some characteristics of Qingzhou soldiers.


    One is that although they no longer wear the yellow scarf, they still wear a scarf around their neck. Of course, this may not be certain, but it is true that the only one wearing a scarf and a Taoist statue of the Heavenly Master is the Qingzhou soldier.


    『What do you want? ”Zeji asked again.


    『Nothing…haha…』


    The horse shook its reins, and the horse neighed and ran towards the north.


    The smoke raised by the horse''s hooves was scattered, and some of it fell on Ze''s gray-brown leather armor. When the horses went away, Zeji patted the dirt on his armor and put his helmet back on.


    He turned around and motioned for the entire team to continue setting off.


    The queue continues to move forward…


    turned through the woods.


    ??When Zeyi realized that he was in a dangerous situation from the slightly strange knight incident before, it was already too late.


    First of all, he noticed some unnatural light shining in the woods on one side of the road. Out of a soldier''s intuition, he instinctively smelled an ominous smell.


    『Stop moving forward! alert! 』


    Ze Xi gave the order instinctively.


    But being alert does not immediately give them super defensive capabilities...


    Zeji soon heard some movement from the woods on one side. He turned around subconsciously and saw a group of figures appearing in the woods at some point, holding some crossbows in their hands!


    ??The crossbow arrows glowed with a cold and dangerous light under the sun, as if they were mocking Ze Xi and others in front of them.


    "not good…"


    Before Zeji could finish his words, the crossbow bolts roared out!


    Ze''s formation was immediately shattered by the sudden attack. Several soldiers were shot to the ground before they could react, causing blood to splash everywhere.


    Because they were patrolling inside Yingchuan, they basically did not carry any large shields.


    Before Zeji and others could react, the second wave of bows and arrows was shot out!


    Zexi wanted to dodge, but was shot through the chest by a powerful crossbow. He fell to the ground with his eyes wide open.


    After a while, the entire Zeji team was wiped out.


    『Hum hum…』


    ??A man walked out of the woods with a sarcastic sneer on his face, "Qingzhou soldiers..."


    Zeji had not yet completely breathed out. He collapsed on the ground and clutched his chest, gasping, "You...who are you..."


    ‘Haha…’ The person came up to Zeyi and raised his sword, ‘Guess! 』


    The sword rises and falls with the hand.


    Zeji''s head rolled down, like a fleshy ball stained with blood.


    ??Rolling and rolling...


    …（｀へ）…


    ?Clouds are floating in the sky in large areas, like large pieces of marshmallows.


    But what happens under these marshmallows is not so sweet.


    If a regime or a country has a large population base, then the life and death of a few people, or dozens of people, or hundreds, or even tens of thousands of people, will not be considered an extraordinary event for this regime or this country. big thing


    But at a critical moment, the lives and deaths of a few people may have far-reaching consequences.


    The fighting began to become intense and crazy after nightfall.


    Crazy shouts from the village, accompanied by shaking like humans and ghosts, then spread to the valley in the distance. Although the men in the village tried their best to fight, in the face of the brutal gangsters, these ordinary people could not resist at all, and then they entered a one-sided situation. Without the protection of these men, the old and weak Women and children are facing hell.


    At first, the men in the village were able to form a line of defense to keep out the bandits who suddenly attacked. However, soon after, bandits climbing in from the other direction caused chaos in the line of defense, which eventually led to The entire defense collapsed.


    ?Flames rose, air currents surged, shadows swayed, and the sound of howls and screams echoed between heaven and earth. The gangsters were grinning ferociously and shouting wantonly, and their accents were incompatible with the local Yingchuan area, just like the voices of evil spirits.


    ?These bandits are more like bandits than bandits.


    Because these people have armor, weapons, organization, and division of labor, all of which show that these are not ordinary thieves.


    Yingchuan has not experienced anything like this for a long time.


    It''s not that these people in Yingchuan don''t know how cruel and terrifying the outside world is, but they have lived in the environment maintained by Cao Cao and Xun Yu and have been comfortable for a long time, so that they have forgotten that in this world , there is blood, there is death, and there are things more terrifying than death...


    In fact, if someone calmed down and observed at this time, they might find that the armors and shirts of these thieves with "Qingzhou" accents were originally stained with blood, and many of them were damaged. . This situation is often simple only in defeated soldiers.


    However, no matter from which perspective, it is unlikely that Yingchuan will be defeated...


    The "Qingzhou" soldiers raged for most of the night. Near dawn, they set a fire and fled the village.


    …(σ｀д′)σ…


    It was not until the evening of the next day that Li Pan received the news that the "Qingzhou soldiers" had attacked the village. His first reaction was to widen his eyes and open his mouth, and then he didn''t react until his saliva was about to fall out, and let out a weird sigh.


    ?Because Cui Yan recommended Cao Cao as prime minister, the relationship between the Jizhou gentry and Cao Cao has become somewhat easier than before, and several people who are close to Cui Yan have also gained some support. Of course it cannot be near Jizhou, but in Mi County in the Heluo area.


    The Heluosili area is naturally divided now.


    In the Luoyang area, the Hongnong Yang family still belonged to the Hussar General Fei Qian on the surface, but in fact it was just that. It was about the same as Tao Qian''s intention of placing Liu Bei in Xiaopei. Therefore, even though the Yang family worked hard, However, due to his strength, he could not regain overall control over Sili.


    Mi County is located northeast of Yangcheng.


    The Hanoi area naturally belongs to Jizhou. As for the counties near Chenliu, such as Mi County, they were originally supposed to be under Sili, but in fact they became under the jurisdiction of Chenliu.


    ?Although the relationship is relatively confusing, after all, the acres around Mi County are pretty good, and there are also people cultivating and farming, so it''s relatively good.


    Since Li Pan took office, it has been generally stable, but he did not expect that the first major event he encountered would be such a piece of news that puzzled him!


    Some soldiers from Qingzhou plundered a farming village west of Mi County!


    After Li Pan heard the news, he did not immediately go to comfort the casualties or condolences the situation, but was considering other issues.


    Why did the Qingzhou soldiers come to the surrounding areas of Mi County?


    What does "Qingzhou soldiers" mean?


    This is not just three words...


    ?As far as Li Pan knows, when Cao Cao surrendered to the Qingzhou soldiers, he agreed to a lot of conditions. Of course, these are all rumors. No one knows what happened on the specific day when Cao Cao arrived at the Qingzhou Army Camp with a few guards.


    ??But one thing that is certain is that since when, Cao Cao''s army began to set up various sacrificial wines, including military advisors'' sacrificial wine, doctors'' sacrificial wine...


    Well, of course it’s not that Cao Cao was the first to create the position of sacrificial wine. It’s just that there were relatively few or even no establishments in the past. However, after Cao Cao gathered the Qingzhou soldiers, there were more of them. This has to make people think of it.


    ?Judging from these clues, the importance of the Qingzhou Army to Cao Cao is self-evident.


    ??But how could such Qingzhou soldiers run into the countryside of Yingchuan to massacre and plunder villages?


    What is even more serious is that in the current period, something like this happens...


    『Xian Zun...Should we report this matter...or...? asked the county magistrate on the side.


    “Hiss…” Li Pan frowned, “It’s hard to handle…”


    “Your Majesty, if we do nothing about this matter...if we do nothing like this, I’m afraid...”


    Li Pan walked around the hall twice with his hands behind his back, "Report!" But we can’t retaliate..."


    What does County Zun mean? 』


    Li Pan was silent for a while, "Didn''t I hear yesterday that a censor was inspecting grain and grass in Yangcheng?" 』


    』


    "right! Li Pan smiled slightly, as if he felt that the ball had been kicked away by him, with a sense of relief, "Isn''t the imperial censor the right to supervise all officials and clean up the rules and regulations?" Shouldn''t such violations, violations of the law, and improper corrections be reported to the imperial censor? Haha, go quickly, go quickly! Don’t let anyone say that we are slacking off because of the delay...』


    …(*舩`)…


    The ball came to Xi Lu’s feet.


    Xi Lu stared at the messenger in front of him, and he had the urge to eat the messenger alive!


    ??If he really swallowed the messenger alive, this matter could be eliminated. I believe Xi Xi would scream and add some soy sauce, vinegar or something, and then just dip it in and swallow it!


    Xi thought clearly that killing the messenger would not make any difference to the entire problem, so in the end he waved his hand and told the annoying messenger to get out.


    As far as the process is concerned, there is nothing wrong with it.


    Are you a censor? Things like inspection and research are naturally within the scope of the censor''s responsibilities. And now he is legitimately out on "patrol inspection"!


    But the problem is that Xi Lu, the imperial censor, is not really a complete person.


    ??The official name Censor Dafu was set for the Qin Dynasty. He was the deputy of the prime minister. He was the chief of the Censor and had the responsibility of supervising all officials.


    Isn’t it very cool?


    But the problem is that Xi Wu can’t get up now.


    ??If Cao Cao had not become the prime minister before, then Xi Lu, the imperial censor, would have been just the same, just pretending. But now that Cao Cao was the prime minister, Xi Lu, the censor, was immediately embarrassed.


    Could it be that Xi Lu really became the prime minister''s deputy and then supervised the officials for Cao Cao? This is something Xi Lu dreams of, but the question is, can Prime Minister Cao be willing?


    At least Xi Liu was relatively close to the emperor before. Now as soon as the prime minister came on stage, he hurried over and knelt down to lick him. Although Xi Liu really wanted to do this, he still had to worry about the scholar''s face.


    This is called "conforming to the general trend of the world"!


    How can it be called kneeling and licking?


    It’s so unpleasant to hear.


    ?At the same time, Xi Liu also needs to take care of the mood of Emperor Liu Xie...


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    Therefore, Xi Li expressed his intention to share the emperor''s worries and monitor the autumn harvest and gifts. He left the political whirlpool and wandered around, acting as a winger. On the one hand, he would not lose the opportunity to attack, and on the other hand, he would not look like a forward center. It''s so eye-catching, maybe it will be beaten randomly...


    Unexpectedly, the ball came to his feet.


    ?How to kick this kick?


    Xi Lu suddenly remembered the news he heard two days ago that a group of Qingzhou soldiers had disappeared...


    Could it be that…


    Xi Lu took a breath of cold air.


    Jizhou and Yuzhou are both quagmire. What Xi Lu wants to do most is to get out of the mire without getting stained, and to be his own white lotus.


    ??In any case, one heart is dedicated to Your Majesty, and one heart is dedicated to the Prime Minister. A white lotus blooms on it, and a rotten leaf presses the black mud.


    So Xi Xi made up his mind not to let himself be contaminated by these causes and effects.


    ?This matter is a big trouble. You must not get into it. If you don''t kick it right, you will be covered in mud! You must kick this Qingzhou ball well!


    But the question is, where are fellow Taoists?


    With his hands behind his back, Xi Lu walked around the hall in circles, like a donkey pulling an invisible millstone.


    Suddenly, Xi Liu stopped and his eyes lit up.


    Come here! Go ask Confucius and... No, no! Prepare your carriage and horses, someone is going to visit Confucius and! 』


    Xi Lu ordered and walked out.


    He found the most suitable receiver!


    Hong Kong Qian!


    The younger brother of Kong Rong, known as an upright and innocent gentleman with flawless white jade!


    ?This matter, no, when the ball comes to Kong Qian’s feet, he will kick it even if he doesn’t!


    Otherwise Kong Qian''s reputation would be completely ruined...


    Isn’t this the best choice?


    Coupled with the old affairs between Kong Rong and Cao Cao, hehe, I think Kong Qian will definitely want to cause some trouble for Prime Minister Cao.


    Isn’t this opportunity coming?


    Fellow Taoist, no, Zihe, please stay!


    (End of this chapter)