The devil is coming

Chapter 133 Recruitment
On the official road, teams escorting prisoners can be seen everywhere. Zheng Fan is riding a horse, with Siniang and A Ming beside him.
Marquis Jingnan indeed regarded Zheng Fan as one of his own, and even left his family's funeral affairs to Zheng Fan. Zheng Fan spent a lot of time to put these things in order.
Siniang and A Ming accompanied Zheng Fan to the capital this time, but because Zheng Fan was riding in the Marquis of Jingnan's carriage when they set off, they followed him from a distance.
After Zheng Fan experienced the extremely exciting Twelve Hours of Yanjing,
A Ming and Siniang were recruited by Zheng Fan to go to the farm to help collect the corpses.
Although he did not personally participate in the purge of the clan, he could roughly see how big the scale of this purge was from the queues of prisoners on the official road, which only lasted ten days and a half. .
Those who were escorted were basically young and middle-aged men. Even those who were a little older would have no problem being sent to the front line to become civilian husbands.
Emperor Yan wanted to clean up the Great Yan clan, but he did not massacre them all. Of course, the top clan clans must be resolutely wiped out physically, but there were so many great Yan clans that they were forcibly labeled as "criminals" The prisoners will move towards Yinlang County in the south under the will of Emperor Yan.
There,
will be the first line of Yan's offensive.
And war does consume a lot of materials, money, and food.
But the most direct consumable in war is human life!
Zheng Fan didn't know if it was the same scene when Qin Shihuang recruited prisoners and civilian husbands, but when he saw it with his own eyes, he was still shocked by the scenes on the official road.
The army upheld the monarch's will and began to wield their swords,
The entire Yan Kingdom began to carry out the most brutal and direct war mobilization under the order of Emperor Yan.
The huge fields owned by the clans were naturally confiscated. The huge group of hidden households that originally belonged to the clans and not the country were re-registered by the court. Most of them will continue to cultivate the original land, but the main family will change from the original land. The clan became the state.
In ancient times, the process of centralization was a tug-of-war between the central and local governments competing for "land" and "population."
In the historical process that Zheng Fan is familiar with, it seems that every ancient dynasty that has created glory has centralized power before creating glory, so that it can concentrate its efforts on big things.
However, when passing by these prisoners, Zheng Fan could clearly feel the hostility of these prisoners.
The noble disciples who were originally aloof and aloof have now become prisoners.
In the political system of Dayan for hundreds of years, the Ji family and the aristocratic family have always ruled the world together. The children of these aristocratic families are also the masters of the country of Dayan in a strict sense.
In fact, the balance between imperial power and aristocratic families has never been broken.
The imperial power was further shrunk because the late emperor succeeded to the throne with the support of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, and because of the extravagant enjoyment enjoyed by the late emperor during his reign.In fact, the noble families have never relaxed their guard against the expansion of imperial power.
But no matter how careful you are, no matter how sophisticated you are, it can't beat two words: naivety.
Emperor Yan naively believed that Faxiao, who had fought with him for chicken legs when he was a child, would not rebel when he had a large number of troops, and accepted everything that the Marquis of Zhenbei had to offer;
The Marquis of Zhenbei naively believed that Emperor Yan was not testing him, so he handed over the 30 Zhenbei Army to his majesty, and even worked as a plow himself, willingly bearing the infamy of a powerful family that had existed in the land of Yan for hundreds of years. They plowed it again.
The Marquis of Jingnan innocently joined the fight between the Marquis of Zhenbei and Emperor Yan, and did not hesitate to massacre his entire family first to show his break with the past.
The suspicion of the emperor and the boundaries between the emperor and his subjects did not seem to be reflected in the three of them at all. The three naive guys worked together to turn this big Yan upside down.
Three heroes emerge from one generation, and these three heroes stand together.
When the cavalry of Zhenbei Army and Jingnan Army came rolling in behind Emperor Yan that day,
The officials and nobles all felt a little "thump" in their hearts at the same time.
they understand,
Dayan’s sky,
changed!
It was like overnight, their wealth, status, and dignity were completely deprived of them. They were sent to the front line of southern Xinjiang by Emperor Yan to take up arms and atone for the "sins" they had suddenly committed. , fighting for the "freedom" that he originally had but lost overnight.
In Zheng Fan's opinion, they looked very much like the barbarians under his command. The barbarians under Zheng Fan were from the criminal tribe. Their relatives were controlled by the big tribe, and they were reduced to fighting for the big tribe. cannon fodder consumables.
The same goes for these prisoners. Their families are controlled in their places of origin or in the capital, waiting for them to exchange military exploits for freedom.
From a chick to a sparrow and then from a sparrow to an eagle, suddenly, I changed back to a chick and started to work hard to become a sparrow again.
"The scale is huge." A Ming sighed.
Zheng Fan looked at A Ming and nodded.
Although A Ming is a vampire, he is not very old, at least not that exaggeratedly old, and cannot be compared with Liang Cheng.
Zheng Fan knew better that Dayan was being boiled by three dreamers.
It is equivalent to Stud taking everything into account. If the next attack fails to achieve great results and the external development fails to achieve great success, this boiling water will probably burn one's own people.
This is a gamble,
Those three,
I'm gambling on the national destiny.
at last,
Zheng Fan and the other three stopped.
Nanwang City has arrived.
……
After the Jingnan Army withdrew from Nanwang City, Xu Wenzu finally realized what it was like to be the commander-in-chief.
But before he could breathe the free and fresh air for long, the news from the capital scared him to the core.
Good guy, more than 300 kilograms of fat were piled directly on the ground, and the attendants around him took a lot of effort to help him up.
Immediately afterwards, the Marquis of Jingnan, who had returned with the evil spirit of slaughtering his entire family, issued an order, and the aristocratic families in Yinlang County were trampled under the iron hoof of the Jingnan Army.
However, first of all, this is because a group of people were cleared out earlier due to the assassination by the General Military Mansion. In addition, Yinlang County itself was the battlefield of the Qian Kingdom's Northern Expedition a hundred years ago, so the climate here is not as rich as other places in Dayan. This second round of liquidation did not take much time.
Subsequently,
Various materials from the imperial court began to be transported to Yinlang County, to the Jingnan Army, and to Nanwang City. After the terrifying wealth accumulated by the family members for hundreds of years was confiscated by the imperial court, they were immediately transported to the "war zone" by Emperor Yan.
This is a battle for Dayan’s national destiny!
After entering Nanwang City, Zheng Fan went straight to the General Military Mansion.
After receiving the notice from his servant, Xu Wenzu immediately came to the living room to see Zheng Fan.
Zheng Fan is drinking tea,
One look at Xu Wenzu,
"puff……"
Tea overflowed directly from the corner of his mouth.
"Brother Zheng, Brother Zheng?"
Zheng Fan raised his hand to indicate that he was fine. In ancient times, there was no napkin here, so he could only wipe his mouth with his sleeve.
It’s really Xu Wenzu’s current look that catches people off guard.
It can be seen that Xu Wenzu is very tired, but he is not so tired that he loses weight, but becomes more puffy and plump. Especially when the bags under his eyes are pulled down, he looks like a strong cartoon.
As for Xu Wenzu calling himself "Brother Zheng", Zheng Fan was not too worried. The sixth prince no longer called himself "lone" in front of him. It was normal for Xu Wenzu not to call himself "my official" anymore.
Zheng Shoubei also found it interesting that he had been pulling on the tiger skin of Marquis Zhenbei, but in the end it was Marquis Jingnan's coat that he actually wore.
But no matter what, after tossing and tossing, I finally managed to look like a human being, and I no longer had to grovel as frequently as before.
"Brother Zheng, come."
Xu Wenzu personally led Zheng Fan to his study room. Zheng Fan had been here last time.
Xu Wenzu's yard was full of people coming and going. Everyone was very busy and it was no longer as deserted as last time.
After entering the study, Xu Wenzu closed the study door, walked to the Taishi's chair, and collapsed directly.
Zheng Fan had only heard that "women are made of water" before.
right now,
He witnessed that as long as you are fat enough, you can become made of water.
After Xu Wenzu slumped down, there were several waves rolling from his stomach to his chin, which could not calm down for a long time.
"Brother Zheng, I'm so tired and thin..."
"Yes."
Zheng Fan does know that work that consumes too much energy, such as staying up late, can easily make people gain weight.
"Oh, this is the first time I've been this tired after being an official for half my life."
"It is not easy for adults to work hard for the country."
"Stop talking nonsense, brother, I just want to take a breather by talking to you. You don't know how many government orders my military commander has to issue in a day, you bastard!"
Massive supplies and prisoners were escorted to Yinlang County in wave after wave. Everything needed to be handled by Xu Wenzu, the commander-in-chief of Nanwang City.
I don't know whether it's because I'm worried that someone will hinder me or something else, but the vacancy of the prefect of Nanwang City has never been filled.
But from what Zheng Fan saw along the way into Nanwang City, although the city seemed a bit bloated, it could be said to be in good order.
This is enough to reflect Xu Wenzu's ability. Perhaps the reason why the court transferred him here was because of his ability to handle complicated work.
Xu Pangpang did live up to the court's expectations.
Perhaps, life is like this;
Zheng Fan still remembered that when he was in Hutou City, Xu Wenzu was still discussing with him how he should dedicate the city after the Zhenbei Army rebelled.
At that time, most of Xu Wenzu's energy was actually on political struggles and standing in line. In short, he was more like a bureaucrat than an official. But now, although he is tired, he can feel that he is full of energy. God is still good.
There is no need to think about intrigues and intrigues, and you can focus on doing things down-to-earth, which is also a kind of enjoyment.
"I already know about the matter in the capital, hahahahaha..."
Xu Wenzu laughed.
The two people who were thinking about the plan of the Hou Mansion below did not expect that in the end, their Lord Hou and Emperor Yan would be wearing the same pants. This was the most dreamy result, but at the same time, it was also the best result.
Dayan did not have to face terrible internal strife and civil war. Instead, it could mobilize all its forces to carry out the largest and most expensive external development in a century.
"Sir, Xiaguan has just returned from the capital and has not returned to the fort yet. I came here to see you first."
Xu Wenzu pointed at Zheng Fan, and he naturally guessed Zheng Fan's purpose.
"Don't worry, I'll keep it for you. We are truly our own people."
Zheng Fan nodded. Although he didn't understand how he and Xu Wenzu could become one's own again when he was already a lackey of Jingnan Marquis, but Shangfeng took the initiative to establish a relationship with you, so you would not foolishly ruin the atmosphere.
"Although the Huo family in Huwei County is a family with a century-old heritage, this family has a strong tradition of martial arts, and all the children of the Huo family are martial arts practitioners.
Brother, I didn't break them up or assign them to others. I just kept them here, just for you. "
The prisoners were escorted over, and naturally not all of them were used as civilian husbands. They were actually more equivalent to reserve troops, or they were enriched into local troops.
The Jingnan Army has its own [-] rear battalion reserves, and as elite as the Jingnan Army, blind expansion can only lead to a decline in its combat power. Therefore, the Jingnan Army did not absorb many prisoners and turned to Yinlang. The forts and military stations in the county came to absorb them.
Anyway, local security forces are used as cannon fodder most of the time. Let's see if they can make gold.
Let's speculate with some dark thoughts, isn't it because the imperial court sent the prisoners from the wealthy families to fight on the front line to deliberately consume them.
If they don't die and stay in the country, they will be a hidden danger.
"How many people are there in the Huo family?"
"More than 700 people."
According to tradition, there is a high probability that prisoners from these families will be dispersed and distributed. Even the refugees in one place will be dispersed when resettling them, let alone those from a family.
But fighting or not breaks up actually has advantages and disadvantages. If you can't suppress them, these people will gather together to resist you, and some may even make people feel uneasy and even abandon their family members behind. It is also possible to defect directly to the enemy country.
But if you can suppress them and tame them, it will be difficult for the seven hundred and one family members to collapse and run away after being thrown into the battlefield, and their resilience will be greater.
"Okay, I want it, armor, weapons, food and grass, these..."
"rest assured!"
Xu Wenzu stretched out his hand to signal Zheng Fan to pull him up, and said at the same time:
"If people below say I'm biased, I'm biased. Anyway, brother, I'm fat and thick-skinned, hehe."
In fact, Zheng Fan's Cuiliu Castle has no shortage of food, grass, weapons, armor, and horses, but the more of this stuff, the better.
"Thank you sir."
"Hey, hey, don't show up, don't show up. I've staked my treasure on you. You must give me a fight. The war is about to start. To be honest, brother, I'm here Sometimes you have to go into battle even if you have no choice!”
"..." Zheng Fan.
An image of Xu Pangpang charging on a war horse appeared in Zheng Fan's mind.
Then a group of people hid behind Xu Wenzu to avoid arrows while charging...
Or, during the city defense battle, Xu Wenzu was directly used as a sandbag and thrown behind the city gate to resist the enemy's attack...
Of course, these situations will basically never happen. If the Dayan army really reaches the point where even Xu Pangpang has to charge, then the country is really not far away from being destroyed.
Xu Wenzu will definitely be there when he goes to the battlefield. He is the commander-in-chief and it is impossible not to lead the army. But what he is doing now is to build his own direct lineage based on his relationship with Zheng Fan.
If Xu Wenzu knew that the sandstone that smashed his carriage was now lying in Cuiliu Castle, he would probably...
"I will live up to your high expectations!"
Zheng Fan really doesn't mind saluting loudly and sincerely when someone gives you such a big face and such great benefits.
.........
After leaving the General Military Mansion, Zheng Fan came to a school ground in the city under the leadership of a close lieutenant sent by Xu Wenzu.
The school ground was crowded with people, and there were many prisoners in custody. Some of the prisoners were shackled, but most of them were not restrained and were just enclosed in various areas.
Outside the school grounds, there are soldiers armed with crossbows on guard.
Inside, there were many military chiefs and secretaries walking back and forth.
A Ming, who was following Zheng Fan, whispered to Zheng Fan:
"It looks like a livestock market."
"Yes." Zheng Fan nodded in agreement.
"My lord, if this battle does not go smoothly, then there will be big problems in the Yan country."
"Ah."
Zheng Fan also felt it. If he had expressed admiration for the great courage of Emperor Yan and the two princes before, now he truly felt the signs of a volcanic eruption hidden under this great courage.
Maybe, there was only one Zheng Fan in the Yan Kingdom before, but now, Emperor Yan personally created countless Zheng Fans.
If something goes wrong in the war against Qian, and something happens to one of the Yanhuang trio, then this group of people with revenge and anger in their hearts...
You know, in this world, most of the elites carry the label of being a powerful person.
If one fails, it will be a new round of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.
"Master Zheng, the Huo family is over here."
The school captain assigned by Xu Wenzu led Zheng Fan to a fence.
Behind the fence, there is a group of people sitting, and you can clearly see the order that comes with them.
At this time, a person in the crowd stood up and walked over. His eyes fell on the captain, and finally, on Zheng Fan.
He shouted in a very unruly tone:
"Oh, who wants to buy us back?"
"presumptuous!"
The captain immediately scolded.
Zheng Fan didn't bother to get angry because of the other party's unruly attitude. First of all, he believed that no matter how united and unruly the group was, it would not have big problems after being handed over to Liang Cheng and Blind Bei for reform.
Secondly, Zheng Fan's attention was attracted by the fence next door, just like when he first noticed him at the funeral of the former commander-in-chief Xiao Dahai.
The other person was leaning there, seemingly in a daze.
Zheng Fan didn't pay attention to the Huo family's prickly head. Instead, he walked to the fence on that side and reached out to knock on it.
"Brother Zuo?"
After the man heard this call, his body trembled first, and then he turned his head and looked at Zheng Fan.
His hands immediately grabbed the fence excitedly,
He shouted to Zheng Fan:
"Brother Zheng, no, no, no, Master Zheng, Master Zheng, do your best, do your best, take me, take me!"
(End of this chapter)