Three Kingdoms

  Chapter 1163 Under the Shadow

   "Are you going to march tomorrow?"

  A dim light, I don’t know whether it’s bad tung oil or the wick is too short.

   "Brother! I said you can't change this lamp? It makes me dizzy!" Yang Bai looked at the dim light dissatisfied, "Didn't I bring you some wax a few days ago, why don't you use it?"

"Nonsense! Lighting lamps and waxes are not the same, they just shine brightly, and you still think it's as bright as day? Little prodigal..." Yang Song said habitually, "Besides, lamp oil doesn't cost money. Why, if you have money, you can I look down on lamp oil... I think back then, I saved all your expenses a little bit..."

"Okay! My dear brother! You are my dear brother!" Yang Bai said helplessly, then reached out and took the bamboo clip next to the lamp holder to pull out the wick, "Okay, use the lamp as long as you use it, I will pull out the wick longer, How much brighter..."

   "Oh, wait..." Yang Song stretched out his hand and called.

late.

  Yang Bai just wanted to pull out the wick with a bamboo clip, but he didn't think about pulling it out...

   Well, to be precise, it was not broken, but the wick was originally so short.

  The tung oil-free wick shook twice before it was completely extinguished, and the room was suddenly plunged into darkness. Yang Bo pinched the bamboo clip in embarrassment, neither sitting nor standing.

   "You little prodigal..." Yang Song muttered habitually, then took the bamboo clip from Yang Bai's hand, then put the wick into the lamp in the dark, and then re-lit the wick.

   "Brother! Dear brother!" Yang Bai couldn't laugh or cry, and said, "If the wick grows longer, it will die!"

"It won't die, but it will take a lot of fuel!" Yang Song pointed to the weft-knitted mats that were already worn out, and said, "You are such an adult, and you are still frizzy. Sit down! What did Zhang Shijun say?" ?”

   "Master Zhang told me to lead the troops to the watershed to resist... well, General Zhengxi..." Yang Bai said, "Tomorrow the troops will be dispatched, so I will come back and report to my brother..."

  "General Zhengxi?" Yang Song raised his eyebrows, and said, "But that General Fei Qianfei Ziyuan who conquered Baibo, regained Yinshan, drove Xianbei to the north, occupied Huguan to the east, and built a school of some sort?"

  Yang Bai nodded and said: "It should be... I think I haven't heard that there is another one who is also called General Zhengxi..."

   "Hey..." Yang Song stood up involuntarily, with his hands behind his back, walking slowly in the hall.

  Yang Bai's head shook back and forth following Yang Song, and said, "Brother...brother...ah, bro, don't turn it around, can you? When the light flickers, you shake too, dizzy..."

   "Alas..." Yang Song sat back and sighed.

Yang Bo asked puzzledly: "What's the matter, brother? Although General Zhengxi is powerful, he is in Bingbei! It's not like you don't know the watershed. The mountains are high and the villages are solid. For three to five days, we must retreat after the water is cut off! No matter how many soldiers we have, we won’t be able to use them! It’s okay!”

   "I'm not worried about this!" Yang Song said with a frown.

   "What does that brother mean?" Yang Bai asked suspiciously.

  Yang Song still frowned, and said: "This time we are at the watershed, how many soldiers are you going to bring with you?"

According to the usual practice, Yang Bo, who is the Sima in Hanzhong County, can have a private army of about 150 to 200 people as a part of the direct-controlled army, while Yang Song, who is engaged in Hanzhong County, can also have 30 to 50 soldiers. There are about 200 personal armed forces as guards, so the combined Yang Song family can be a private armed force of about 200 people.

To go into battle, of course, you have to bring your own soldiers. Even if you really don’t have any, the bare commander will temporarily recruit 50 to 200 people from the army as personal guards according to their rank. After the war, the personal guards usually come. In other words, it was formally transformed into the general's personal guard, and it was separated from the original command.

These personal guards, who are also messengers, supervisors, and even soldiers who escaped, because in the Han Dynasty, those who fled back after the death of the main general were all held accountable for the crime of "dead lord", and they were basically decapitated. guilt.

   "It's natural to bring the people from the headquarters..." Yang Bai was somewhat puzzled, is there even a need to ask?

   "How many soldiers and horses did Zhang Shijun give?" Yang Bai asked.

"It is said that there are five hundred soldiers... plus the two hundred or so people who were originally at the watershed, there will be 800, plus my own troops... If you stay at the watershed for ten days and a half months, there should be no problem ..." Yang Bai said.

After pondering for a while, Yang Bai's eyes flickered a few times, and he said, "No, you have to take my guards with you! When you reach the watershed, you must also control the five hundred soldiers and the defenders of the watershed. Li! There is no room for loss!"

   "Ah? Oh..." Yang Bai responded subconsciously, and then asked, "Why? Doesn't it mean that brother doesn't have soldiers to protect him?"

"Oh, I'm alone, and I'm usually in the county. Three or five guards are enough..." Yang Bai was obviously thinking about something, and said, "Do you know what it means for General Zhengxi to arrive at the watershed... Forget it... You probably don't know either... go to rest early, you will need some time tomorrow... When you arrive at the watershed, prepare your defenses first, don't be too impulsive, just wait for my letter..."

  Although it is not very clear why Yang Song said this, Yang Bai still habitually obeyed Yang Song's words, nodded, and after a reply, he got up and left.

  After Yang Bai left, Yang Song blew out the oil lamp, but he didn't mean to rest, but sat blankly in front of the desk, thinking in the shadow.

  Fei Qian, the general who marched to the west, did not come here to visit the mountains and rivers, but to stare at Hanzhong, maybe also at Sichuan and Sichuan. Of course, you only need to think about it, and everyone can understand it clearly...

  But in reverse speculation, why was General Zhengxi able to attack Hanzhong?

   Could it be that General Zhengxi has taken Guanzhong?

  In the darkness, Yang Song frowned tightly.

  For Yang Bai, maybe he only needs to follow the military order, but Yang Song has to think more and go deeper.

   After all, the Yang family is too weak. There are only two brothers. Although they are both serving under Zhang Lu in Hanzhong, but... But this position is not what Yang Song wants, it is just a last resort.

  In the land of Sichuan and Shu, there are many family names, and these family names firmly control the local land and political affairs, and the management is so impenetrable, there is no place for a weak family like Yang Song!

Zhang and Du are in Jincheng, He is in Pixian, Jiangyuan is Chang, Langzhong has Sanhu, Wuma, Pu, Zhao, Ren, Huang and Yan, Brazil has Qiao, and Nanchong also has Zhang and Hou. Qianwei has seven Yang, five Li, and twelve surnames, and Yang, Du, and Li are the main surnames of Zitong...

  The surnames in Chuanzhong are intertwined, and there is no gap at all. As a last resort, the two brothers of the Yang family came to Hanzhong. It happened that Zhang Luxin came to Hanzhong, and it was just when there was an urgent need for manpower, so they got a place.

   However, Yang Song is not very satisfied with being under Zhang Lu. The key point is not Zhang Lu's background. For Yang Song, background is secondary. What's more important is that Zhang Lu has no enterprising spirit and only wants to be conservative!

  How big is the land of Hanzhong? Keep it, how long can you keep it? The act of burning the plank road made Yang Song even more disgusted. It seemed safer on the surface, but it also cut off the connection with Guanzhong, and even cut off the hope of taking a step forward!

  Yang Song is not unaware that Yang Bai has always been somewhat dissatisfied with his frugal behavior, but isn’t this family fortune accumulated by himself?

   Calculating carefully has become an instinct of Yang Song. And now General Zhengxi's soldiers are pointing directly at Hanzhong, which means that General Zhengxi has probably gained control of Guanzhong!

  One is Guanzhong plus and Bei...

  One is Hanzhong plus Sichuan...

  The huge balance was placed in Yang Song's heart, and some weights were placed on the left and right sides from time to time...

  ………………

  Dark clouds were churning in the sky, it seemed that a heavy rain was about to fall in Jincheng, and in Yizhou Mu Liuyan's mansion, it was also covered with dark clouds, and it seemed that a storm was brewing.

"roll!"

   Liu Yan lay on his side on the couch, pushed away the maid who was about to feed the medicine, and shouted hoarsely: "I don't want to eat these useless soups and medicines! Get out! Get out!"

  The maid staggered and fell to the ground, the pitch-black soup was overturned, splashing out a filthy color...

   "My lord, please calm down..."

   Regardless of the attendants or guards inside and outside the hall, Qi Qi was half shorter.

  Liu Yan panted, endured the pain in his back, and said, "Ahem... Chuan, go and invite Pang Brazil... and Zhao Taicang..."

   Immediately, someone outside the house answered with a cupped hand, and then walked away quickly.

   "Come here!" Liu Yan reluctantly sat up from the couch, then gasped for a few breaths, endured the pain and said, "A bunch of useless people! Don't help me get up quickly, ready to change clothes..."

   During this period of time, Liu Yan had a carbuncle attack, and a large pustule swelled up on his back. The skin was eroded, and the pain was endless. Even sleeping, he could only lie on his stomach.

In fact, according to modern medicine, carbuncle is not a terminal illness, it is just an abscess caused by the accumulation of a large number of staphylococci under the skin or in the tissue. Generally speaking, surgical resection and anti-inflammatory drugs can restore health in most cases, but Han Dynasty did not Anti-inflammatory drugs, few people will do surgery.

   Therefore, I only prescribed some medicines for cooling and reducing fire, but how can the acute carbuncle symptoms like Liu Yan be treated quickly with only decoction?

In addition, Liu Yan originally believed in Taoism, and there are saints of Tianwei Dao in the mansion. It is inevitable to take pills to practice or something. Three points of the disease.

  The sick man was moody, and in just one day yesterday, he killed a servant and two maids, which made the servants in the mansion tremble with fear, fearing that it would be his turn to be the next unlucky ghost.

  Perhaps Liu Yan was preparing to receive guests, and he didn't have much thought on these servants, so he didn't continue to get angry, but closed his eyes, and said slowly: "Bring some incense powder..."

  Perhaps people who are about to die have more or less some feelings. Liu Yan feels that his time is numbered, and he is afraid that there will be more bad luck, so he needs to make some arrangements for his funeral.

  Liu Yan has four sons, but now only Liu Zhang is by his side.

  Third son Liu Hao, although he said he followed him into Sichuan, but unfortunately died young...

Liu Yan always believed that Liu Mao's death was inseparable from the big families in Sichuan and Shu, because at that time Liu Mao often attended the banquets of these big families, but when Liu Mao died, he only showed symptoms of wind and cold, and there was nothing unusual about it. , This made Liu Yan can only suppress the grief in his heart, and could not put the matter on the table, so he could only investigate secretly.

   But I didn't expect that before I found out anything, I collapsed, and the carbuncle broke out so quickly that I was a little caught off guard.

A thick layer of powder was smeared on his face, which barely covered his pale and decadent complexion. Liu Yan asked people to light incense in the room to cover up the stench from the carbuncle on his back. Then he sat on the mat with strength superior…

  Pang Brazil, that is, Pang Xi, served as the prefect of Brazil. When Li Guo was in chaos, he resigned from his position as a servant. Originally, he wanted to temporarily avoid the military front in Guanzhong, but he did not expect that after the Zhong family took power, he would not be able to fulfill his original promise in time. In addition, the situation in Guanzhong became more and more chaotic. In the end, in a fit of anger, he simply took the family members and went south to Sichuan to avoid disaster.

On the one hand, Pang Xi had a lot of friendship with Liu Yan's son, Liu Fan. On the other hand, it happened that Liu Yan also needed some celebrities to support him. Therefore, Pang Xi, who went south, quickly established a strategic cooperative relationship with Liu Yan and became the governor of Brazil. Guard the north for Liu Yan, suppress the local gentry, and monitor the movements of Zhang Lu in Hanzhong.

   And Zhao Taicang, that is, Zhao Wei, who is skilled in military affairs, is now serving as the guard general of Zhonglang, stationed in Jincheng. Zhao Wei once held the post of Taicang in the central imperial court. When Liu Yan was appointed to go south, Zhao Wei followed him. He was considered Liu Yan's old team and was regarded as loyal.

  Wen has Pang Xi, and Wu has Zhao Wei. These are the two arms of Liu Yan in Sichuan and Shu.

   Zhao Wei will be here soon.

  Pang Xi, who had arrived in Jincheng two days earlier, also rushed over. The two exchanged a glance, and then entered the hall together to meet Liu Yan...

  In the hall, sandalwood lingers.

  Liu Yan is half leaning and half sitting, sitting in the middle, closing his eyes and resting his mind. He is dressed in a multicolored brocade robe, which looks graceful, dignified and calm.

"The idlers wait to get back!" After Pang Xi and Zhao Wei took their seats, Liu Yan opened his eyes, without even shaking his face, and said in a deep voice, "The guards stood out twenty steps away! Anyone who dares to trespass, eavesdrop on the windows." whoever, beheaded!"

   "Wei!"

  The guards stationed outside the hall responded loudly, and went out amidst the sound of armor.

   There was a muffled thunder, and heavy rain poured down, covering the whole world. The originally dim hall was hit by wind and rain, and the curtains swayed, casting a large shadow, covering all three of them...

  (end of this chapter)