Three Kingdoms

Chapter 2557: A trick to deceive others

 There are bandits in Zhongmou.

 Having had it for a long time.

 At least that’s what the official text says.

It is normal to have bandits. After all, it is close to the Taihang Mountains. In addition, farmers in many places have been affected by various disasters to varying degrees over the years, so farmers who cannot survive go into the mountains to become thieves.

 Theoretically it is very smooth.

 It is also very complete logically and can be self-consistent.

 Hence, there are "bandits" in Zhongmou.

 Because of the "bandit rebellion", the Zhongmu area has never been very stable.

 Without stability, food production will naturally be low.

 Grain production is not high, so taxes must be reduced or reduced.

 What’s the problem with this?

 Hence, the amount of taxes paid in the Zhongmou land was reduced accordingly, and the reduced taxes were retained in the local area to protect the local area and provide subsidies to poor farmers.

 What’s the problem with this?

 At the same time, because we need to fight against bandits, we must also supplement some military equipment. Then the expenditures on military pay and pensions cannot leave soldiers hungry to fight, right?

 So the various expenses in Zhongmou Land are also very high, and from time to time the Han Dynasty needs to allocate additional subsidies from other places...

This is certainly no problem.

No, there is another riot in Zhongmou.

It is said that they are the remnants of the Montenegrin army.

 With an old tradition,  With the Han's army, it's a long-standing tradition.

 Fortunately, the local defense forces in the Zhongmou area seem to be pretty good and can resist the Montenegrin Army every year. Even though military expenditures have remained high, the losses are not small.

Some people say that the Montenegrin Army in Zhongmou is the original Montenegrin Army. Others say that these Montenegrin Army are actually the remnants of Yuan Shao's army. Some even say that the current Montenegrin Army is supported by the Hussars General Fei Qian. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Yes, but no matter what the situation is, it proves that these remnants of the Black Mountain Army in Zhongmu are difficult to fight, or to clean up.

 At the beginning, the big man didn't care about this, because at that time he couldn't even care about himself.

Later Han Fu arrived in Jizhou and was unable to take care of this matter. However, after Yuan Shao took over Jizhou, he had a real fight with the Black Mountain Army, but he couldn't take care of it anymore.

By the time Cao Cao arrived, Zhongmu was already used to it, or in other words, he had been used to it by everyone from top to bottom.

I am used to hearing the news about bandits in Zhongmou, I am used to the reduction of taxes in Zhongmou, I am used to the additional subsidies and expenses from time to time, I am used to the heroic sacrifice of Zhongmou officials in the battle with the bandits...

 Habit is a very scary thing.

 It's like living in a smelly room for a long time. Once you get used to it, you no longer feel the smell.

 It is quiet in the dead of night, the moon is dark and the wind is high.

　　A large number of people were sitting in the large tent at the Hanzhong Mou Suppression Bandit Camp.

 The odor of sweat, feet, sour body odor, and breath odor complement each other and complement each other.

 Everyone stinks so much, so no one stinks. Therefore, no one in the big tent had any objections to the smell. On the contrary, they had strong objections to the upcoming patrol.

　　　"Zhang Sanlang, the war report you reported earlier has been approved. Merit will be recorded once, but you will not be promoted for the time being..."

The person in charge picked up a piece of writing from the desk and threw it into the arms of another person.

"What? Why? Zhang Sanlang shouted before he even started writing, "Captain Wang, why can't I be promoted?" Didn’t I defeat the Black Mountain Bandits? 』

"It says there is no body, no proof of head..." Wang Xiaowei pointed at the text and said, "You know what it means. If you do this next time, there will be problems sooner or later!" 』

"Hey, Lieutenant Wang, you can't blame me for this. The Black Mountain thieves came over in vain. It's not easy for the brothers to take the risk and defeat the thieves... Although I didn't get any heads, but the armor Can't swords and guns also prove something? This can't be upgraded to a level? You can't let us go to the mountain stream to find the corpse of the thief? 』

Colonel Wang looked over his shoulder and said, "I told you, it can't be counted!" understand? No, can, count! 』

　　　…” Zhang Sanlang was still a little unconvinced, but he remained silent.

Colonel Wang knocked on the desk that was covered with grease and dirt, and then said: "I tell you to restrain yourself a little, restrain yourself a little, and pretend to be more like-minded. Let everyone communicate with each other, and the result will be good. Just think about yourself." Fuck! it's good now! We have brought in the inspectors... and when they are all revealed, will I have a good life? 』

　　　‘Didn’t you say that the inspector came to check for spies? We don’t have spies here, only Black Mountain bandits, so what’s the benefit? ” The military lord on the other side said, “The higher ups have taken so much, why should they give us some cover?” Otherwise, how would you do this job? 』

　　‘You think the higher-ups didn’t do anything? This news was sent by people from above to tell us! Check for spies, check for **** spies! They're here to check us out! Captain Wang knocked on the desk and said, "You're paralyzed. At the beginning, you only reported ten or twenty military exploits, but now you dare to report thousands. Ah, you bastards, you really think that everyone else is doing this." Can't see it, huh? If you move, there will be hundreds or thousands of people. There are only so many people in Black Mountain. You have killed tens of thousands in total! Nonsense! 』

Everyone was silent.

There is indeed some truth in saying this, but if we don’t repay more, how can we satisfy the growing appetite?

 ‘Everyone, let’s talk about what we are going to do now! Captain Wang knocked on the table.

Zhang Sanlang coughed and said, "Isn't that what everyone is doing when they come out to work, to support their families? Can this inspector...can make some money..."

"Disaster. Captain Wang shook his head and said, "This man's surname is Lu Minghong. It is said that he had the courage to go against General Xiahou in Yecheng before and was almost killed by General Xiahou... Moreover, it is said that he lives a poor life and does not like pleasure. He will also I even tore my brocade robe to show my determination... For such a person, it would be... difficult, difficult to give money! 』

　　　『If you don’t want money, this will be troublesome...』

　　　Yes, the most annoying thing is that people don’t need money. How can you be a human being without money? 』

　　　　Is this person sick? 』

　　　　Sick, yes, it’s best to be sick! It would be best if he died of illness on the way! 』

“You are stupid. You were not sick when you came out, but you were sick when you arrived in Zhongmou. It was still a serious illness and you died in Ou. Only a fool like you would believe it?” ! 』

　　　Wang Dafei, what do you mean? ! 』

　　That’s what I mean, what’s wrong? 』

Everyone was chattering, talking and making noises, and the building turned upside down.

　　　"Be more serious and talk about business!" ” Colonel Wang banged the table twice again.

Everyone fell silent. You looked at me, I looked at you, and there were no words again.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ifies someone who is capable when it comes to pulling things off blindly , but when it comes to talking about serious matters, he is treated as a mute ! Captain Wang banged the table. The table, which was already a little unstable, was shaking, as if it was going to fall apart at the next moment. "If we really want to find out something by then, you and I will be the only ones." No one can run away! 』

　　　『How about the principal giving me an idea? I’ll do whatever the principal tells me to do! "Zhang Sanlang, the military lord on the side, said.

 Junhou Zhang Sanlang was the first to express his position, and the rest of the people also agreed.

Isn’t this how it’s been all these years?

Those who can be bribed, those who can be coaxed, those who can be corrupted, those who can be intimidated can be intimidated. If it really doesn't work, they will sacrifice themselves heroically and die on the front line. Anyway, as long as the action plan is well formulated and their hands and feet are clean, they have no objection. .

They are all the people in Zhongmu, up and down.

This time Captain Wang did not knock on the table again. He did not know whether it was because he thought it would fall apart if he knocked any more, or because he felt that there was no need to knock anymore.

Wang Lieutenant inspected the circle and said: "What can I do? I thought of one...this black bandit is very cruel..."

 ‘This…’ Everyone looked at each other.

 Didn’t I just say this...

 Wrong. It doesn't matter whether you said it or not. What matters is that this is the inspector!

This is the prime minister, no, this is the inspector sent by Xun Lingjun. Is it appropriate to go directly to the big move now?

Colonel Wang’s eyes gradually turned cold, "What?" Do you have the courage to make money, but don’t have the courage to do things? 』

 Zhang Sanlang gritted his teeth and slapped his thigh, "Fuck it!" Just do as the captain says! 』

After a while, everyone responded one after another. For a moment, it was as if they were rushing to the battlefield, with a rather iron-blooded flavor.

  Anyway, I have done several votes.

　　 No, this is the first time for an inspector to be an inspector, but those of the previous petty officials have also accumulated a certain amount of experience?

 With the name of Black Bandit Studio in front of it, the only one to blame is the Black Bandit!

Captain Wang pinched the short beard on his chin and said, "Then you all agree?" 』

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 done! Done! " "agreed, agreed! 』

　　　　Yes, **** him! 』

"good! Get the wine! Make an alliance based on blood! Captain Wang didn't waste any time. He took out a short blade from his boots, and then took out a piece of silk. He scratched the edge of the blade with his finger, and bright red blood flowed out, dripping into the wine jar, and then he pressed it on the silk. Above it, there is a blood seal of fame!

"ah? ” Everyone was a little surprised. Does it need to be so grand?

At that time, it was just like this to oppose Dong Dong, but now it is used to deal with an inspector...

Captain Wang's gaze came over, like a knife piercing his body. Zhang Sanlang immediately felt as if he had been stabbed. Without saying a word, he took the knife and made a cut, and then dripped blood into the wine jar.

 Then the next one.

 The next one.

 One after another, queue up.

 It was as orderly as queuing up to share money.

　…ヽ()()…

Lu Hong was swaying on his horse.

 Inspector.

Which one is bigger, the school minister or the inspector?

 This is not important.

 The important thing is that as long as you climb up and the position is high enough, even if you do nothing, it will be important. Lu Hong knew this very well.

Lu Hong didn't know whether there were spies in Zhongmou, but he knew that there was a problem in Zhongmou.

 This problem has actually been going on for a long time.

Yuan Shao and Cao Cao have fought against Black Mountain bandits before, so there must be Black Mountain bandits, but if it continues until now, something is a little abnormal.

 Yuan Shao did this by sending soldiers from various places into the mountains to encircle and suppress him. He said it was a great victory, but was it really...

 If it is really a big victory, then why not take advantage of the victory and pursue it? It’s not because the efforts and gains are already out of proportion.

Later, the battle between Cao Cao and the Black Mountain Army was fought at the foot of the mountain. At that time, the Black Mountain Army had all left the mountain, so it was not considered a victory in the mountain. As for the hussar general Fei Qian, it seems that he also fought outside the mountain.

Then no one has actually gone into the mountains to encircle and suppress them. No one knows how many thieves there are in the Black Mountains, and no one can guarantee anything. After all, ordinary people can become refugees, become Yellow Turban thieves, and then become Black Mountain thieves. Is there any wonder?

 In fact, whether it was Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Han Fu, or other local officials, it was not that they did not send some troops to suppress the bandits, but those soldiers who rushed here from other places were always defeated...

Lu Hong discovered a very strange problem. Every time he mobilized troops from other counties to start a war with Montenegro, the Zhongmu troops that were supposed to support them either had this problem or were blocked by the bandits from Montenegro, preventing them from moving forward. In the end, Naturally, the soldiers transferred from outside the county were defeated in the mountains.

Of course, this may be just a coincidence, after all, Li Guang had such unlucky things back then. On the battlefield, who can guarantee that he will always be lucky?

The mountain roads in the Taihang Mountains are rugged and complicated. Sometimes it is inevitable to get lost or encounter problems on the mountain roads, so slow progress is not a problem. What's more, the captain and captain here in Zhongmu are connected to some local civil servants. Several people were killed in the confrontation with Montenegro. It seems unreasonable to say that the Zhongmu defenders did not contribute.

Later, Cao Cao himself had many problems to deal with. As long as he didn't make too much noise in a small place like Zhongmu, he basically didn't care too much. Until this time, Xun Yu relisted this place as a focus.

As for why Xun Yu focused on Zhongmu, the more Lu Hong thought about it, the more exquisite he felt.

 Lu Hong felt that this might be the gap between him and Xun Yu. As long as he thought about these things clearly, it would be equivalent to shortening the distance between him and Xun Yu.

This should be.

 First of all, Zhongmou is neither big nor small, and it is located on the Taihang side. There are caravans, so there will inevitably be some idle people waiting, and it is naturally very possible to mix in some spies or something.

Secondly, Zhongmou is relatively closed, with Taihang to the west, Julu Ze to the north, and large rivers to the south and east. This territory has always been controlled by several big surnames, the Li family, the Wang family, and more importantly, the Ren family and the Pan's.

However, these big surnames are not very prominent, they are average, at most a little above.

Is it a good fit?

 It’s like the Ren family, Ren Jun’s Ren family.

Ren Jun served as a county official in Zhongmu County in his early years. Later, during the reign of Dong Zhuo, Yang Yuan, the original magistrate of Zhongmu County, planned to abandon his official position and flee, but was dissuaded by Ren Jun. Later, Ren Jun suggested that Yang Yuan take the lead in raising troops to fight against Dong Zhuo. Yang Yuan adopted Ren Jun's suggestion and took the lead in launching a campaign against Dong Zhuo. However, Zhongmu was too small and not as powerful as Yuan Shao and others, so it did not receive much attention.

 Not long after, Cao Cao also raised troops to fight against Dong Zhuo in the Chenliu area. Ren Jun brought more than a hundred people including his clan and guests to attach themselves to Cao Cao, and he became the elder of Cao Cao's group from then on. Cao Cao was very happy about Ren Jun's surrender. Not only did he appoint him as the Cavalry Commander, he also married his cousin to Ren Jun.

 Subsequently, Ren Jun was basically responsible for the logistical supply of grain and grass. He has been serving as a military general in the field, and he implemented the policy of fielding with remarkable results. He became one of the important forces deployed by Cao Cao in Yingchuan.

Yingchuan, haha...

Lu Hong smiled, feeling that he might have touched something.

 As for the Pan family in Zhongmou, basically they have less influence than the Ren family.

 Among the Pan family, the elder is named Pan Xu and his son is named Pan Man. Pan Xu entered the official career at an early age and served as Minister of Finance and Minister Youcheng under Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty. He was famous for his agility and knowledge of old affairs. Later, when Dong Zhuo was in chaos, he abandoned his official position and returned to his hometown. Now he is serving as an official again. He served as Zuocheng Cao of Jizhou. His son Pan Man was also very talented and learned, and was praised by the countryside.

The mountain road is winding. Although it is not very rugged, it is not very easy to climb up and down.

 Suddenly, Lu Hong and his party encountered a checkpoint.

“Please show your official credentials so that we can inspect them and release them as soon as possible!” "The soldiers at the checkpoint shouted loudly.

　　　『Asshole! How dare you stop the inspector in front of him? ! ” Lu Hong’s guard shouted, obviously dissatisfied with being stopped.

 ‘No, there’s an order from above! A must check for all! ” The sentry soldiers did not flinch, “Everyone, dismount and accept inspection! 』

Lu Hongce immediately stepped forward, frowned and asked, "Who do you belong to?" 』

"What's the meaning? speak English! ” The Sentry Military Academy said, “There is an order from above that everyone must be inspected! 』

　　　… Lu Hong was a little angry.

　　　"Which part are you in?" Who is your boss? ” Lu Hong’s guards couldn’t help but shouted.

　　　　Why do you ask this? If there is an order from above, it is from above! 』

　　　『Let me ask you about your superior...』

“Forget it,” Lu Hong waved his hand, “Take what was given to him...”

Lu Hong's subordinates snorted, then dismounted, rummaged through the luggage on the side, then took out the luggage and handed it over.

The checkpoint military academy took over the transfer station, looked up and down a few times, and suddenly his expression changed, "This is fake!" Come on, there is a thief pretending to be passing by, trying to break through! 』

"What? Before Lu Hong's men could react, they subconsciously reached for the pass, "How could this be fake..."

　　　　How dare you commit murder and resist arrest! "There was a sudden loud shout, and then a long knife flashed out, and then he chopped it down directly!

With a "puff" sound, the sharp long knife cut the unsuspecting Lu Hong's right arm in two!

Blood gushed out, and the stump of the limb that fell to the ground was still holding half open, and its fingers twitched.

"ah! ! Guard Lu Hong screamed and fell to the ground.

　　　『The thief wants to break through the checkpoint! ” The checkpoint military academy raised the blood-stained sword and shouted, “Counterattack! Fight back! 』

　　　『Fake officials and be killed without mercy! 』

　　　『The thief is dead! 』

The soldiers at the checkpoint came out to kill the generals ferociously. Lu Hong and others finally reacted and tried to get their weapons in panic, but it was already too late.

Arrows came whistling, and several guards on horseback were shot without even taking out their crossbows. They fell off their horses. The horses, which had lost control of their riders, were frightened and bumped into the queue, causing several more guards to fall. The soldiers and guards stood unsteadily and fell down the mountain. They screamed and hit the rocks like smashed tomatoes.

The soldiers at the checkpoint rushed towards them wildly with knives and spears. Even the small caravans who seemed to be waiting for inspection also rushed forward with weapons from their wheelbarrows.

The swords were thrown at each other randomly, and Lu Hong's guard soldiers didn't even have a chance to fight back, so they were beheaded on the spot. The two guards standing in front of Lu Hong just raised their swords to resist, but as soon as one of them raised his sword, he was hit by an arrow, and the other slashed the air with one sword, and then had no chance to make a second blow...

Seeing that the sword was about to break through Lu Hong's protective circle and hit himself, Lu Hong was so frightened that he was sweating all over, and then he had an idea and called out, "Don't kill me!" It would be more troublesome to kill me! It’s even more troublesome! It's good to keep people under the knife! There are benefits! 』

The miserable scream, like the howling of a fat pig about to be carried to the slaughter table, echoed in the valley...

 (End of this chapter)