Han Zuo Gaomen

Chapter 1407
At night, after a busy day, Pan Jia, the chief official, dragged his exhausted body back to his home.

The rural households are short of resources, so naturally there will be no consumption of lamp oil and candle wax. The house is pitch black. When the woman hears the sound in the courtyard, she stands vigilantly behind the door with a stick, waiting to hear familiar footsteps and a low voice, Then he breathed a sigh of relief, opened the door latch and welcomed his husband into the room.

"He didn't return at night again, and he didn't know what he was busy with?"

Feeling her husband's thick arms, the woman felt more at ease in her heart, and couldn't help complaining a few times.

"If I don't run around outside, how can you old and young survive!"

The husband smiled lowly and took out two handfuls from the woman's bosom. Hearing the woman's shy panting and scolding in a low voice, the fatigue all over his body disappeared a little. When he touched the wooden stick under the woman's armpit, he He laughed again: "Women are always cautious. Now that there are patrols in the city day and night, who would dare to offend the villagers without knowing their lives, let alone my family!"

Speaking of this, the man's tone is not lacking in pride, a man must have power, and now he is in charge of the township regiment training nearly a hundred strong soldiers, except for the young and somewhat excessive county lieutenant and the unusually sturdy king's generals, there are still real people in the city now. No one dared to offend him.

While speaking, he stuffed a piece of bacon to the woman, and whispered to cook half of it and put the half away properly.The woman did as she said, and brought back the steaming meat soup after smearing black and white in the stove. Pan Jia found a few crude earthen pots and poured out about one-third of the meat soup. Feeling distressed, she pouted and complained: "That's not a family member of blood relatives, why bother..."

"shut up!"

Pan Jia frowned immediately when he heard this: "Uncle's family members are all dead, and I am his direct son. If you are a woman who dares to be unfilial and gossip, I will drive you out of the house." !"

When the woman heard the words, she was as silent as a cicada, not daring to say anything more.

Pan Jia carried the hot meat soup into the inner room, and heard an old man coughing, so he stepped forward to help the old man who was lying on the meadow, and said in a low voice, "Grandpa, it's time to eat."

The old man muttered, and after taking two sips, he waved his hands and said, "I'm full, I'm full, leave it to my slave."

"There is enough food at home, and I am being promoted by Minggong, so don't worry about it too much, Grandpa."

Pan Jia ignored the old man's refusal, poured down the half-crock pot of meat soup, and then patted the old man's bony chest: "Grandfather rest at ease, I have to be on duty early tomorrow morning, so I won't come to greet you."

After returning to the front house, under the faint moonlight, Pan Jia saw that the woman was still smearing black and rubbing numbness, so he stepped forward to pat her and said, "Go and wake up the little slave."

"He's already gone to bed..."

"Go fast, eat before going to sleep."

Pan Jia sat back at the dining table, and listened to the woman's rambling: "Wandering and playing games all day long, what's the use of eating too much!"

"You woman is really stupid. How can a stranger live forever? There is no hope of a young man in the door. You don't know where you will die in the next year."

Speaking of this, he remembered another thing: "I asked you to teach the little slave to read, how did you do? Don't slack off in this matter. If your husband and master were not lucky enough to have this little ability, how could he be reused by Ming Huan. But Wei said that when the robbery is known, the county will start a school, if my little Lang Youhui can learn a little, he will be able to lead the Qi family in the future!"

"How can the thief be so easy to settle down? The day before yesterday you didn't return all night, and there was so much commotion outside the city, it must have been harassed again. They are tigers and wolves that cannibalize people. Why should we Xiaohu Handing provoke them? It's really a catastrophe. , that Duke Weiming of the county may not be able to survive, there is no room for long-term plans..."

The woman was a little pessimistic, but she still got up and called her little slave.

"What a fool, the Capricorn Lord is such a cruel person, he was driven away by the master Wang like a pig and a dog. Those evil soldiers outside the city can't last long..."

Pan Jia picked up the pieces of meat from the crock and threw them into his mouth, and began to chew, but there was joy and anticipation in his eyes, and he took his sleepy son into his arms, and said with a low smile: "Young slave, eat more, stay in the county When you start school, Grandpa will send you to school, and from now on, you will be like that Huan Wei, be a dignified and upright royal official, and shine on your family!"

Early the next morning, Pan Jia left the house and went to the county office to stand by. On the way, he met those fellow villagers who worked together and greeted each other warmly.The county has not been ruled for a long time, although the living conditions of the people have not improved greatly, but with these village braves patrolling and hunting day and night, there are no strong beams daring to run amok, at least they have gained a bit of steadfastness.

Huan Yi in the county office also got up early, and when Pan Jia entered the office, he was called in. He did not arrange any new tasks, but only asked about daily chores. After a while, his expression became solemn: "I am here There is an important matter to tell Pan Jun, but this matter is quite dangerous, and you may not be able to return once you leave. But if you can do it, I will guarantee you a brilliant future!"

When Pan Jia heard this, his face became serious, and he didn't dare to agree easily for a while.Although the relationship was not long, he was more convinced of Huan Yi, and he also saw that the lost family members of Xiangyong were properly supported, but after all, the days were short, so he did not dare to believe it.

Huan Yi also knew that not everyone had the heroism to sacrifice their lives, and it was a bit embarrassing for someone to make such an important decision for a while. After pondering for a while, he then said: "Mr. It is clear. Jie thieves seem to be rampant, but in fact it is difficult for a long time. Wang Shi seems to be stuck here, but there is no end to it. The city of Quzhou is not a place that must be defended. Jie thieves have repeatedly harassed but dare not take it , It shows that its power is aggressive on the outside and weak on the inside. The thief is about to be broken, and all the achievements are waiting to be picked up. But if there is a task to make progress, how can there be safety without danger?"

"Before I entered Quzhou, I was a prosperous and idle person in Luozhong, and my family was full of shade. Even if I didn't go to danger and work, the rest of my life would be peaceful and rich. Husband of Huaxia, how can he act like a porcupine dog in the door? Every man is a man, and the only one who can receive it is nothing more than a knife. There are many dry bones on the left side of the road. They may not be harmful to people in life. Those who regret it are nothing more than not being able to die well. Life and death are important. I don't want to die in peace, but I want to entrust my life to great things. Although the tiger thief is cruel, if I can survive by luck, I will make great achievements and be famous in the world..."

Hearing this, Pan Jia's expression was a little moved. Although he is not a wild sage with great talents, he has seen many things about life and death. There is a difference in the severity of a life. If one can really have a great wish to win, what is the pity of one life.

Among other things, at least the lives of these group-trained village warriors are much more precious than ordinary villagers. At least during this period of time, the families of those village warriors who unfortunately died outside have been supported.If it was changed to the past, death would be death, and who would care about their family members.

"I'm not regretting my life, I'm just afraid that my talents are shallow and I won't be able to fulfill the entrustment of Duke Ming..."

After a while, Pan Jia said in a deep voice.

Huan Yi saw that Pan Jia was a little moved, so he said: "Since I chose Pan Jun to do this, it is because you have the possibility to achieve it. If there is no possibility of reluctance, it is accumulating sins for myself. Besides, at present My life is like a duckweed, and only when things come to fruition can I be safe."

Huan Yi is not sure whether Pan Jia will succeed.In fact, Jin Xuangong and Huan Yi had disagreements on whether to send Pan Jia abroad.

Jin Xuangong believed that since he already knew where the Jie army was located around Qusi, he could directly send troops to capture them while they were unaware, and he could interrogate as many enemy troops as possible.For a villager like Pan Jia, regardless of his ability or loyalty, he should not be too trusting. If he is easily sent out, it is very likely that not only will he not be able to find out how much the enemy is doing, but he may leak his own information.

Huan Yi didn't disagree with Jin Xuangong's opinion.However, Jin Xuangong is the commander of the Wang division, while Huan Yi is an official of the Quzhou County Office. The difference in the positions of the two parties determines that when Huan Yi considers problems, he must not only focus on the current military, but also consider Qu Zhou. Zhou post-war governance.

According to the standards of Xingtai regulations, the current Quzhou does not have the conditions to establish a county at all.Apart from other things, the number of registered persons alone is far from meeting the requirements.Humans are not born out of thin air, Huan Yi, in addition to assisting the king's current military affairs, must also consider recruiting people in this environment after the war.

Of course, apart from this point, once the war in Qu Zhou is over, Wang Shi will definitely need to continue to march northward, and Huan Yi must also have trustworthy assistants in order to handle county affairs more calmly.

It was also based on these considerations that Huan Yi decided to take a certain risk and give Pan Jia a chance and test.If this person can achieve something this time, regardless of the gains in the process, at least it can guarantee that this person is credible and can rely on big things.

If not, there are only two outcomes. One is that Pan Jia dies, but Qu Zhou can be rewarded comprehensively. If he died because of Huan Yi's dispatch, Huan Yi will definitely arrange for his family members properly, which is not a big deal to him. Difficult.In the second case, Pan Jia defected to the enemy and attracted the Jie army to attack in advance, making Quzhou's situation even more dangerous.

But even if Pan Jia is not sent there, the danger still exists.Jie general Ran Min is cunning and vicious. Although there are frequent attacks from Tobu City's masters to attract his attention and give the Yanzhou army time to prepare for a counterattack, it is uncertain how long it will last.Qu Zhou was at the forefront of the battle between the two armies, and the intensity of the battle would definitely be strong, and Huan Yi didn't dare to have the extravagant hope of being safe.

Of course, no matter what kind of situation the situation develops in the future, Pan Jia's trip must be completely dangerous.But whoever seeks to make progress, who can be completely comprehensive?Naturally, Huan Yi was also taking risks, even the Jie general Ran Min on the opposite side, he relied on his ferocious ranger to trap all the soldiers of the king's division in their respective strongholds, so why not playing with fire?

Knowing what Huan Yi was going to arrange for him to do, Pan Jia breathed a sigh of relief, after all, this was not a direct death, but then he became nervous again: "It's really a humble job, it's never been... just ask Ming Gong, can there be a chance in his actions?" Need to be careful?"

After all, he is just an ordinary fellow, and even though he has made up his mind to participate in such a major event, he really lacks confidence.

"Just be ordinary, remember what you have seen and heard in detail, think more and speak less."

In Pan Jia's situation, it was impossible for Huan Yi to give him too complicated instructions, all kinds of instructions, and the main thing was to remind him to maintain his true colors.

Although Jin Xuangong disagreed with Huan Yi's approach, when Pan Jia was really preparing to go out, he still came out to meet Pan Jia, and at the same time explained some details related to military affairs.

"This Pan Jia may be lacking in knowledge and insight, but he is not dissatisfied with his loyalty. Hebei is so generous and sincere."

Standing at the gate of the county seat, watching Pan Jia and his two attendants drift away, Huan Yi couldn't help saying with emotion.These Hebei villagers are different from those who have lived in Luoshang for a long time and have been in the north for a long time. They are willing to undertake such a dangerous task, and the suffering in their hearts must be even worse. After all, whether they can get rewards depends on themselves. It's hard to be sure.

"How heroic Yanzhao is, what is even more valuable is tenacity."

Jin Xuangong still held some reservations, a generous person is easily agitated, but difficult to keep things in check.In his view, these people have only a short period of time in rule, and they may be eager to take risks bravely for a while, but once the situation does not develop smoothly, or they are under strong oppression, they are also very likely to give up their original positions.

In the final analysis, it was still related to his personal experience, being betrayed one after another by his closest relatives, and he didn't dare to have too many good expectations about human nature.

But since people have already spread it, it is useless to talk about it.The top priority is to strengthen Qu Zhou's self-protection ability. Once the counterattack officially begins, they can increase their chances of survival if they persist for a moment longer.

After Pan Jia and the others left the county seat, they went straight to a villager stronghold that had been found out before and acted as the eyes and ears of the Jie country.

All the way forward is smooth, they have been going out frequently during the recent period, and they have also concluded that the activities of the Jie army are becoming increasingly rare.This was also one of the reasons why Pan Jia dared to venture out of the city. The Jie army scouts were unreasonable. Once encountered, the disaster and fortune would be left to the other party's thoughts, but if it was just negotiating with the villagers, he was still somewhat sure.

Proceeding cautiously in the countryside, after nearly three hours of trekking, they finally arrived at a meadow.Looking around, there are tall weeds and branches everywhere, which seems to be inaccessible.

However, when Pan Jia and the others deliberately made some noises in the vicinity, there was a reaction in the surrounding wilderness. Bamboo and wood instruments surrounded them.

"You, who are you..."

Although he already knew the details of the other party, Pan Jia still showed a look of panic. As for the other two attendants, there was no need to put on a show at all. They didn't know the purpose of this trip at all.

"Oh, so it's the Pan family!"

After a few people on the opposite side looked at it for a while, there was a mocking smile on their faces.Originally, there was little news and little communication between the countryside, and it might be difficult to see them in a lifetime across a river. However, most of the villagers around Quzhou were deported to Quzhou County earlier. Fighting for the city is no stranger to Pan Jia, a country fighter.

The enemy was extremely jealous when they saw each other, so many people on the other side swarmed up and pressed Pan Jia and the others in the grass with fists and kicks. After being beaten, the two townspeople couldn't help but shouted loudly: "We have been beaten. Incorporated by Master Wang, brother is a guest at the seat of Duke Ming of the county office, the unruly people dare to do harm, and they are not afraid of causing trouble..."

After all, these few words had an effect, those people finally restrained their fists and kicks, and after venting their anger, they tied up the three of them again, and at the same time couldn't help laughing and scolding: "It's hard for Master Nan Wang himself to be safe, It's hard to rely on you, the Pan family's thieves!"

During the beating and scolding, several people were turned away to the depths of the meadow.The river here is dry, and there is a flat land with a radius of several hectares, where some simple shacks are built, and the people who live here are naturally the villagers who were defeated in the Quzhou village earlier.Seeing that Pan's villains were caught here, there was a surge of emotion for a while, women, children, old and young came forward to shout, curse and fight, Pan Jia and the others were covered in blood in a short time.

These villagers don't hate the Jie army who drove them away from their homes like cattle and sheep, and they dare not provoke the Wang Shi who now occupies Quzhou County. Different from mortal hatred, some women even rushed forward and bit their teeth when they were provoked.

Pan Jia had a plan in mind before leaving, but when he actually arrived here, the situation was quite different from what he imagined.Seeing that the situation did not turn around, they might be beaten to death by these angry villagers. For a while, he couldn't care about anything else, and shouted loudly: "Don't think that the Meng family will hide in the meadow so that no one will know you!" You have done a shameful thing! You are willing to be lowly, acting as the eyes and ears of Jie thieves, leaking the information of the king's army to the Hu thieves, the crimes have long been known to the king, and you will be killed soon!"

As soon as these words came out, those old women just replied, but the faces of the few strong soldiers who were watching the theater with their arms folded suddenly changed.A few well-dressed people rushed out of the shack, and rushed here to push away those who were still beating Pan Jia and the others: "Get out, don't go crazy here!"

After a while, Pan Jia and the other three were escorted into a fairly spacious hut, where two middle-aged men sat upright, glaring at Pan Jia with wide eyes and growling, "You What were you yelling just now? Say it again!"

Seeing the other party's reaction like this, Pan Jia was determined in his heart again, and spit out a mouthful of bloody phlegm in front of the middle-aged man: "I am already an official of the Xingtai King of the Jin Kingdom. You bastards harmed me today, and dare to think that I can be saved? Let alone you The evidence of Tongjie’s crime is conclusive, I’m here to find out your whereabouts, and the next day Master Wang will come to kill you country thieves!”

"The dog thief dares to speak hard, ask you whatever, answer whatever!"

Several young men from the Meng family outside the door heard Pan Jia's insults, and kicked him to the ground again. They were about to go forward and continue to fight, but they were repelled by a middle-aged man in the hall.

The middle-aged man took a step forward, helped Pan Jia up, and brushed off the grass clippings on his body, with a serious expression: "You are Pan Jia? Do you still recognize me? Last year when your family Shiro got married, I went to your hometown to congratulate him. How could a family of harmonious folks from generation to generation have formed a deep blood feud if it hadn’t been for the strong army to cross the border and destroy the nostalgia? What rumors have you heard? Even if my Meng family is not a high-ranking family in Kuazhou County, I always guard my nostalgia, why? Will have an affair with the thieves who ruined my homeland!"

"You don't need to tell me that. How much nostalgia there is. There was no bloody battle left in the city earlier. Even if I still remember the friendship between the villagers in the old days, the crime of your family has been recorded in the Wang Shiji. Wang Wei's rape, then It's not something I can interrupt..."

At this point, Pan Jia squeezed out a ferocious smile on his blood-stained face: "I am here to fight and kill you as you please. I die for the king, and I am better than the local bandit Tongjie too much." , the family’s wives and children are supported by old and young..."

When the middle-aged man heard this, his face became more severe, and he was angry for a long time. After a while, he paused and said, "Who hurt Pan's virtuous relative?"

Hearing the message from Pan Jia's mouth, the middle-aged man couldn't help being nervous.It is an indisputable fact that the state of Jie is in decline. After all, when the lord of Jie moved the capital, he ordered the villagers of Jizhong County to go to Xindu with him, and he has blatantly exposed the decline of the state of Jie to the common people in the countryside.

Even if you don't consider who is the orthodox state of Jin and Jie, most of the elderly people in Hebei still have memories. Decades ago in Yongjia, some wealthy families fled south in a hurry. The country has become the new master of this land.

Now the old things are repeating themselves, but the direction of escape has changed from south to north, and the old things that seem to be familiar come to my mind. It is self-evident who will be the new master of Hebei in the future.

What's more, Shi Huwei, the lord of the Capricornus, maintains the system with tyranny, and has no kindness to the Jin people in Hebei. Once he shows a weak posture, he will naturally lose his heart.So even the people in the suburbs of these counties are really not optimistic about the future of Jie country.

As for secretly communicating with the Jie army, it was helpless.Although Master Wang conquered Qu Zhou, he did not conquer the countryside. The people who were defeated in the rural struggle were still powerless to protect themselves under the iron hooves of the Jie army.

But instead of killing and mutilating them, those Jie soldiers allowed them to survive in the wilderness, but ordered them to pass on some newsletters, and if they did well, they could even get some rewards.

What the general situation is, it doesn't matter much to the villagers like them, survival is the top priority.What's more, they have never received favors from the king of the Jin army so far, and they can't even talk about betrayal, let alone remuneration.

In their view, even if the king of the Jin army took revenge, he should go to the Jie army in Shangbai, and they might not notice them, these poor people.Even if the Jie army is repulsed in the future and the Jin state completely occupies this place, after time passes, their deeds of fornicating with the Jie army may not be discovered, and then they can rest assured and be obedient citizens of the Jin state.

But now, according to Pan Jia, the Jin army already knew about their tipping off to the Jie army, and even prepared to retaliate, how could they remain calm?

Out of fear of the king's division of the Jin army, the Meng clan in this camp can be said to be respectful before and after. They asked people to help Pan Jia and others deal with their injuries, and then they were very respectful. They hoped to learn more details from them.

Pan Jia may still be cautious and say little, but the other two attendants have been somewhat carried away by the completely different treatment before and after, revealing more about the current situation of Quzhou County in their words.

After hearing all kinds of things, the people of the Meng clan present had mixed feelings. Regardless of the power of the two countries, at least in terms of their attitude towards ordinary villagers like them, Wang Shi was indeed much better than Jie Jun.I hate that the Pan family has so many people and they have stolen the county, so that they have to wander the countryside and become the eyes and ears of the Jie army.

That night, several speakers in the camp were sleepless, and got together to discuss how to deal with it.It's not that they don't want to take refuge with Master Wang, but the current situation around Qusi is still weak in the south and strong in the north, not to mention their crimes have been discovered by Master Wang, and it is possible to let the past go?

Therefore, the debate was fierce that night. Many people strongly advocated that Pan Jia and others should be handed over to the Jie army, and they could even report the news to the Jie army.

Both left and right are at a loss, and there is no result in the end of the fight. After all, no matter how you choose, it is unpredictable.The hundreds of them seem to be quite a lot, but compared with the mighty armies of the two countries, they are nothing more than grass on the left side of the road, and they can be trampled to pieces with one foot. This is the tragedy of living people in troubled times!

"Let's discuss after breakfast first."

The middle-aged man who first recognized Pan Jia waved his hand, temporarily stopped the debate, then got up and walked into the morning light to order the camp to prepare meals.

Not long after the middle-aged man left, suddenly a dozen strong men rushed in and pressed all the five or six elders present on the table, and then the middle-aged man stepped back and apologized to the clansmen whose expressions had changed drastically: "You don't need to look at me like this. Since there is no result in the theory, I might as well make a decision. If I can get through this disaster, I will ask my parents for my sins. If I can't, I will be beaten and scolded when we go to the underworld together!"

As he spoke, he waved his hand and ordered these clansmen with different opinions to be temporarily imprisoned, while he went to the hut where Pan Jia stayed, and said directly: "I have never had a deep enmity with the Pan family. Brother Xian I was lucky enough to arrive before the throne of the king, and I have the audacity to ask for help for the guilty family, so that all members of the Meng clan can take the blame and make meritorious service! I dare not seek luck for the serious crime, but I hope to survive. If you are lucky enough to get more credit, please Brother Xian accepts it with a smile."

(End of this chapter)