stubborn thief

Chapter 217 Five Virtues
The rebellion in Pingliangfu City lasted only two days from the beginning to the end.

But after the rebellion was put down, after every family died and every family went to funerals, Fucheng still had to face the chaos of no officials and economic collapse.

Pingliangfu City is a special city. Of course, in the northwest of this era, most cities are very special, but each has its own uniqueness.

The [-] people in this city supported the feudal king, but from another perspective, the feudal king also supported the town.

After three invitations from the kings of the Han Dynasty, the Lion Camp took over the responsibility and took over the city defense with white cloth wrapped around its hands, and Yang Dingrui sat in the government office to manage the administration.

On the No. 12 day after the end of the two-day rebellion, there were still more than [-] households in the city, with a population of more than [-] people. Except for the prosperous business of the coffin maker and paper money shop in the city, all businesses were ruined.

The first thing Yang Dingrui wants to do is to provide relief with work. This project is the life-saving building for Lord Han.

King Han found himself being led around by the nose. Liu Shizi first convinced him that Pingliang City was not safe, and then recommended a small city with sharp-edged enemy towers, and then built this city to help the people, with the ultimate goal of lending him money. .

Lord Han realized later, thought about it, and felt that this was wrong.

He thought, he didn't seem to be doing disaster relief, the government office was in charge of this matter, and Liu Shizi would spend half an hour every day to pay the workers.

But to say that there was no disaster relief, his palace owed Liu Shizi 650 taels of silver and 280 shi for grain because of the construction of the city.

Han Wang has been lending money to others for a lifetime now, and now he owes money and food to the leader of the rebels.

He wondered why the thief Liu Chengzong was not born in Pingliang, even if only one person enters his palace, he can turn the entire Pingliang mansion into Han Wang's family if he goes out empty-handed with the name of the palace.

But Han Wang dared not say it, he was a little afraid of Liu Chengzong, because Liu Chengzong was taking him to the funeral, the host of the funeral was the four executed soldiers of the Lion Camp.

Those were the two captains and two soldiers of the artillery post.

On the first night of entering the city, they politely knocked on the door of a Fuguo lieutenant's house. The three of them slept with the lieutenant's two concubines, and one of them took control of the situation outside to let the wind go.

Lieutenant Fuguo discussed with his relatives all night, and the next day he had the courage to report the matter to the government office, claiming 20 taels of silver.

Yang Dingrui had no choice but to report to Liu Chengzong, but Liu Chengzong made a decision that no one in the city could have imagined.

The first day was calm and calm, Lion Camp went out to practice outside the city as usual, and Liu Chengzong and Cao Yao borrowed a meal at Guanlan Pavilion of Han Wangfu.

The next day he bought food and wine, treated the four soldiers to a big meal, and got himself drunk. After drinking, Han Shipan arrested them.

Fan Sanlang led his troops to enter the Fuguo Lieutenant's mansion, first paid ten taels of silver, and then gave 30 taels of silver, and took away the two concubines half-robbed and half-buy.

On the third day, the lion battalion gathered outside the city and did not go out to practice. The charges were read out in public, and the two captains were beaten fifty times and executed; the two soldiers were executed.

Cao Yao, the chief of the artillery post, was fined 100 taels and two horses. The two captains and two commanders each fined 50 taels of silver and two horses. All members of the two teams were fined [-] taels of silver and one horse.

On the way back, Liu Chengzong kept his face livid, making King Han afraid to speak.

He pondered for a long time before he whispered to Liu Chengzong: "Is the general's punishment too severe? I heard that two of the four are officers."

Seeing Liu Chengzong on the horseback turned his head and stared at him expressionlessly, King Han hurriedly said, "What Xiao Wang said is that the general doesn't need to show it to the clan and the common people."

"Let me kill my own soldiers and show them to others, are they worthy?"

Liu Chengzong didn't want to say more at first, but Fan Sanlang followed him, and said: "I don't care who they sleep with, it violates the military law, you can't correct them, you can't lift them, you can only kill them."

Han Wang winked and said: "That can also be fined with gold and silver, fined mules and horses, deprived of official positions, and shaved off baldness, and made meritorious deeds. I heard that you attach great importance to officers."

Liu Chengzong looked around, there was only Fan Sanlang and a member of the Lion Camp around him, and he really felt uncomfortable with this question, so he said: "The two of them are officers, and those two soldiers can also be promoted to be officers. The officers of my team Very important."

"There is no one else here, I can tell you." Liu Chengzong stopped his horse, clenched his fist holding the rein tightly, and said, "If they kill the lieutenant, snatch the two women and escape, I might let the pursuers relax. Let them go."

"Even if they don't run away or are caught, I will punish them with all their wealth, goods, soldiers, horses and horses. If they don't run away, they will commit crimes and meritorious deeds. If they want to run away, I will still let them go."

King Han didn't understand: "What is the meaning of this?"

"I'm a soldier from Yuhebao, and so are they. Killing someone without authorization is a serious crime, but I have worked hard to save their lives. I can bear some price for their mistakes."

Fan Sanlang was also as confused as Han Wang: "Then, why did the commander kill them both?"

"It's four. If I can save a life, I will release all four, but they are not afraid." Liu Chengzong took a deep breath: "They didn't kill the lieutenant, they just swaggered out like that. They thought the lieutenant didn't dare to complain, or...they were not afraid The Lieutenant complained."

"Then no one can keep them."

Liu Chengzong turned his head and said: "Sanlang, generals have five virtues. They are wisdom, trustworthiness, benevolence, courage and strictness, wisdom is witty and resourceful, and they know how to be flexible. Faith means that rewards and punishments are clearly defined and do not make people confused, and strictness means that the three armies are punished with punishment."

Fan Sanlang read this sentence once, nodded and said he remembered it, and then asked: "Marshal, did Chief Cao not persuade you?"

"Persuaded, persuaded by me, he has his own way of leading troops, making this decision is much more difficult than mine, and these five virtues come first, because trade-offs are the most important."

Fan Sanlang blinked. She had always had the impression that Cao Yao was someone who could persuade others, but he was actually persuaded by Liu Chengzong. He hurriedly asked, "How did the commander persuade you?"

"I said I can be flexible, as I said just now, to bear the price, the strict military law is not inflexible, as long as you are willing to bear the price, it has nothing to do with hard work."

"They have made some contributions, but I have never owed rewards, and naturally I should not relax when it is time to punish."

Liu Chengzong said: "If they are afraid, I will spare them the death penalty and make the soldiers in the battalion feel a little contemptuous of the military law, but it will make the four of them die hard. Maybe they will make more contributions in the future, or they can save my life." Life is worth it."

"They are not afraid. I will not refuse to punish them. I will not only bear the price of invalidating the military law for them, but also bear the price that they may hate me because of the punishment. In the future, I will take the lives of the entire army. I cannot bear such a price for them."

"I treat Sergeant Cao like I treat my elder brother. I told him these things, saying that if he opens his mouth today and says that these four people must live, I can bear it for him. As long as he opens his mouth, these four people can live."

Liu Chengzong shook his head slowly: "He can't speak."

"Righteousness!"

As soon as Liu Shizi finished speaking, King Han stretched out his arms and raised his thumbs to cheer, and then asked, "Then if he says it, will you really not kill him?"

Liu Chengzong glanced at him, shook his head and said: "I said, I treat Chief Cao as my brother, so I know him as well as I know my brother."

"He is very witty. He is not a fool who only knows how to talk big. He has rich life-saving experience and is more cautious than me."

Han Wang sighed, raised his finger to Liu Chengzong, shook his head and said, "You can't lie to me? I just thought you were righteous, but you made me think you are cunning."

Liu Chengzong smiled and said nothing, Fan Sanlang asked: "What about Ren?"

"There will be five virtues, but it is not the five virtues that make a good general. The ultimate goal is to win. For a few soldiers Xiaoren, the whole battalion will relax. You join their robbery team, and you are defeated in the end, how many people will die? This is inhumane."

"Benevolence in leisure time is to treat soldiers well, to eat and clothe them warmly, to be well equipped, to be adequately trained, and to have strict military discipline. In wartime, to win, to win with the best tactics regardless of casualties, and to end the war as soon as possible is the greatest. kindness."

Fan Sanlang understood, and nodded his head firmly.

Han Wang was at a loss when he heard it, he felt that it was too troublesome, and it took so many detours to lead a soldier.

In fact, he was more interested in how Liu Chengzong lied to him and put him in debt.

I just thought it would look stupid to ask such a question, so I didn't have the nerve to ask.

He said: "General, you said so much, it's all related to your leading troops. You have made the Lion Camp into a division of benevolence and righteousness. Why did you half-rob and half-buy the two concubines of the lieutenant away?"

In fact, Fan Sanlang, who was on the mission, was more interested in this.

She even secretly wondered if her handsome man, like Cao Cao in the Three Kingdoms, had special hobbies and liked to be married.

This kind of thing is not easy to ask.

"You've got the point. This matter has nothing to do with leading soldiers, but it has something to do with me telling you that I don't know how to kill my own soldiers to show others. It's not that I don't want to, but I don't need to. You Do you know why?"

Liu Chengzong pointed to himself: "Because I am a thief."

"As long as I don't kill or loot indiscriminately when I enter the city, whether the people or the vassals, they will impose the name of benevolence and righteousness and the praise of restraint on me. Even if there is a small problem, other than the person concerned, others will treat us Very forgiving."

Thinking about it, King Han couldn't help nodding his head. If there were officers and troops outside, the clans should have picked up their weapons and prepared the city gates.

There will be no chance for the officers and soldiers to have problems, and they will never be allowed to enter the city.

He heard Liu Chengzong ask: "Why is this?"

King Han didn't know.

Liu Chengzong said: "This is called a widow's infidelity. It is not as good as an old prostitute."

"Although my soldiers made mistakes, I don't want to pay Lieutenant Na Fuguo a penny. He should fight my soldiers to the death. It's best to kill them. Even if I lose, I will avenge him."

"But he didn't. Such a handsome five-foot man ran to sue the next day. He didn't ask me to punish the soldier, but demanded 20 taels of silver. He never thought of protecting his mother-in-law from the beginning to the end."

King Han frowned and said, "These are the two concubines you bought, you let him take his life..."

"What's wrong with my concubine? Those are two people. I'm going to Liuhu Lake now, and I'll fish up the koi you raised in the pond, remove the scales, and fry them with salt."

King Han's eyes widened, and he straightened his neck: "You can only get one!"

"I'll just talk about it, virtue, return to the prince, just a few carp, this will kill you."

Liu Chengzong spread his hands and said: "I didn't blame him, it was mine who was wrong, but those four people ruined the innocence of the two women, what will happen to them in your big family?"

"Hanging, throwing into a well?" Han Wang didn't know about these things, but he had a basic common sense of chastity: "I don't know, it depends on them. Chastity is something that the upper class does, and the middle class waits for their husbands to die." It doesn't matter if you remarry, as for the inferior people, as long as they don't murder their own husbands, it's okay."

Han Wang laughed: "If there are many chaste and strong women in this world, there is no need to distribute chastity memorial archways."

Liu Chengzong was very calm: "This is shameless."

Han Wang spread his hands and said in surprise: "Why are they shameless, no one forced them!"

"Is it still necessary to force it? Are the two women far-sighted or stubborn? Not to mention that Lieutenant Fuguo didn't do anything, I'm afraid that other people's gossip can kill people more than me."

Liu Chengzong pointed at himself, and then said: "From childhood to adulthood, they are full of thoughts that after the death of their husbands, the first class is to follow their husbands to live in martyrs; They all die to show their innocence, so what can we do when we encounter this?"

Liu Chengzong never expected that Han Wang didn't speak up, but just nodded thoughtfully, and it was Fan Sanlang who raised objections to this.

Fan Sanlang said: "But the commander-in-chief, the fashion respects chastity, and the people are not chaste. If they don't respect it, what should they do?"

Liu Chengzong glanced admiringly. Fan Sanlang was not arguing, but he did have something to think about. This is the progress after having experience. He said: "What you said makes sense. It is very important to have moral standards, but people are not saints. Moral standards should not be too high, let alone meaninglessly high."

"A person can not marry, but he should not commit adultery. This is related to loyalty; but if the husband dies, he should remarry. What's the point of being a widow or even dying in love? What's the benefit of being raped like this?"

"What's more, they are all upper-class families. The righteousness of marriage in the "Book of Rites" and the morality that a husband should fulfill are in being a king, a relative, and a teacher. They are an example for teachers."

Liu Chengzong raised his finger and pointed to Pingliangfu City not far away: "The two women just suffered misfortune, not willing to lose their virginity. For the upper-class men in this city, the loss of the city and the fall of the vassal state is already an insult to the state. Why don't I see anyone?" Hanging yourself in a well to die for your country?"

"On the contrary, a group of people ran out of the city to watch the black donkey breeding." He said, he glanced at King Han, and said to Fan Sanlang: "It must be that the king's virtue is not enough."

"Hey man, I just thought what you said made sense." Han Wang was so anxious that he wanted to jump up on his horse, but he felt ashamed to be said, so he glanced at him and said, "Why are you swearing?"

Liu Chengzong and Fan Sanlang looked at each other, both amused by King Han's embarrassment.

"Oh, you're so annoying. I know I don't care as much as you do." Han Wang wanted to shift this embarrassing topic away as soon as possible, and said, "Just talk, what do you want me to do?"

"It's over." Liu Chengzong spread his hands innocently and said, "These days have been too heavy, so I'm happy."

After finishing speaking, he greeted Fan Sanlang and rode his horse towards the city.

The angry King Han beat his horse and scolded: "Be content with it, if it wasn't for Xiao Wang's relatives who always do things for the enemy, with your character, how could Xiao Wang be friends with you!"

The two young men rode horses and chased after each other, until they were bumped into by Chang Shi who was out of the city at the gate of the city.

Chang Shi got off his horse and glanced at Liu Chengzong before saluting to the King of Han, "Your Majesty, go back to the palace. The angelic official has come to announce the decree. General Liu, your good news has arrived."

　good morning!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)