Three Kingdoms

Chapter 2723 All doubts

The queue moved forward slowly, and soon it was the herdsman’s turn not far away.

　　　『That one over there! What are you looking at? I’m calling you, come here! ” shouted one of Wei Xu’s guards, pointing at the herdsman.

The herdsman's face suddenly turned pale. He subconsciously avoided the gaze of Wei Xu's personal guard, but soon realized his situation. He quickly put his hand on the leather on his shoulder to cover up, and then pretended not to understand the Chinese. Didn't walk over.

 There are many herdsmen who can speak Chinese, but more of them cannot speak Chinese, so it is actually normal for herdsmen not to understand Chinese.

The only flaw is not the herdsman's face. After all, it is stained with so much dust and exposed to wind and sun. Even if the face is red and pale, it is not clear for a while. What is more obvious is his behavior. When the herdsman was stopped, there was an obvious pause. If he didn't understand Chinese at all, how could he have such a reaction?

So the chief of Wei Xu's personal guard narrowed his eyes and stared at the herdsman. He did not go directly to the herdsman, but first motioned his men to keep an eye on it, and then found the caravan leader in front of the herdsman.

 ‘Is he one of yours? ” Shi Chang asked.

"No! no! ” The caravan leader shook his hands and said, “We don’t know him at all! Look, sir, this is our guide. We are all Han people from Longxi, and there are no shepherds! 』

　　　『Well…』Shi Chang took over the guide. The format of the road guides is relatively uniform. The places where people and things go are indeed written with their birthplaces in Jincheng, Longxi, and there are no herdsmen.

While he was checking, the commander felt a slight touch on his arm. Then he lowered his head and saw that the caravan leader had stuffed a money bag from his sleeve. He immediately smiled, took it skillfully, and stuffed it into his belt. , then returned the road guide to the caravan leader, waved his hand, "Let's go!" 』

As the caravan moved forward, the herdsmen hesitated and wanted to follow, but were stopped.

 ‘Come here, come here! ” Shi Chang waved.

 The herdsmen still did not move.

　　　『Did you hear that? Come over here! ” Shi Chang added gestures, and the herdsman seemed to understand. After a while, he walked up to Shi Chang and others.

　　　　Li Xin, Li Shuzuo, you don’t have to pretend. Shi Chang shouted, with a smile on his face and his hand pressing the handle of the knife, "Do you know how hard it was for us to find you?" 』

Do you know Li Xin?

I don’t know him. I just know the name and a rough description of his appearance. In the Han Dynasty, when there was no photo technology, most of the portraits were freehand sketches rather than realistic. If you want to follow any wanted portrait, you can catch him. Human beings are basically impossible.

Shi Chang saw that the height and shape of this herdsman were similar to those described for Li Xin, so he was ready to shout something.

Even if it’s wrong, or if you catch him directly, what’s the harm in identifying that he’s not Li Xin?

Anyway, their mission has been completed, and the next time they come out to drink from the northwest wind will be someone else.

But the herdsmen’s reaction made Shi Chang stunned for a moment, and then he was overjoyed!

Just as Shi Chang's men were approaching the herdsman, the herdsman yelled, then threw the leather roll on his shoulder directly at Shi Chang, then pushed away the person behind him, turned around and ran towards the side of the road. .

 The scene suddenly became a mess!

 Everyone with experience knows that no matter what happens, never run in front of the police...

As soon as the herdsmen ran away like this, Shi Chang couldn't help but jump up. His instinctive reaction was to yell: "Stop!" Don't run! 』

It’s just a pity that when most people shout like this, the other person will not only not stop, but also speed up and run.

　　　『Don’t... bah, bah bah! ” The chief was still chasing after him with his sword pressed, and he was still thinking about shouting, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he was hit with a mouthful of windy sand. He couldn't shout anything, he could only spit the sand, and then chased forward fiercely. .

Logically speaking, Shi Chang and others are wearing armor and carry a heavier load than the herdsmen. Therefore, if they run for a long time, their endurance is definitely not as good as that of the herdsmen. However, the problem is that Shi Chang and others did not have much energy at the checkpoint before. It consumes physical strength, and the herdsmen traveled a long distance, and they certainly did not have sufficient supplies and food like Shi Chang and others. Under this increase and decrease, the herdsmen gradually lost their strength after running for a while.

The herdsman could no longer run, he was dizzy and fell to the ground with a thud.

Shichang led a few people and chased him closer. Just as he was about to approach, he was forced back by the dagger the herdsman pulled out.

　　『Hey, it **** my hand...』

Shi Chang signaled, and several other people gathered around and drew their swords one after another.

When Shi Chang saw that the man was surrounded, he smiled ferociously and said, "Put down your sword and capture me, I won't embarrass you!" Otherwise, your skin and flesh will inevitably suffer! 』

　　『Stop! Keep someone under the knife! ” Soldier Gao Shun at the checkpoint ran over, “General Gao has an order to capture the escaped soldiers and take them to Yumen Pass for trial!” 』

The herdsman dressed by Li Xin couldn't help but feel a little happy when he heard this.

 But before the happy look stayed on Li Xin's face for long, guard Wei Xu shouted: "Kill the deserters!" Enforce military law! Do it! 』

 Li Xin was originally a civil servant, and he was holding a small dagger, which was good enough to scare people with bare hands. But when he really started to attack, he couldn't resist at all. His arm was cut off immediately and the dagger fell to the ground.

Li Xin screamed in pain.

Gao Shun's soldiers in the distance also shouted repeatedly, and even raised their swords to ask Wei Xu's guard to stop, but Wei Xu's guard didn't listen at all, and directly hacked Li Xin to death, then took Li Xin's body and left.

By the time Gao Shun received the news, Wei Xu's personal guards had naturally gone far away, "You died when you went up?" what happened? 』

　　"Report to the general, it was General Wei who escorted him to death..." the soldier at the checkpoint reported back, "I feel... like he was silenced... The man was still shouting something before he died, like a complaint of grievance..."

　　　　What is it exactly that you are shouting? Gao Shun asked.

The soldiers shook their heads, "It was too confusing... We were quickly gagged by General Wei's guards... And we stood relatively far away, so we couldn't hear much clearly. We probably only heard a few words, like Chang'an in the Western Regions." Report something...』

　　　　Western Regions? Chang'an? What about the human body? Gao Shun asked again.

"It was taken. ” The soldier lowered his head, “We want to keep them, but... we can’t. The only thing left at the scene was this broken arm... and this dagger..."

Gao Shun was silent for a while and nodded, "Okay, I got it. Just go back. Thank you for your hard work." 』

 The soldiers left, but Gao Shun fell into deep thought.

 Because judging from the severed arm, it doesn’t look like someone holding a knife, but more like someone holding a pen...

 So, there may be something wrong with this so-called "deserter".

Gao Shun didn't know anything about some things in the Western Regions. At the same time, even if Gao Shun didn't say anything on weekdays, it didn't mean that he could get used to some of Wei Xu's actions.

Lu Bu once told him that we are all brothers, there is no need to say those words, just do things.

 Gao Shun believed it before, but later Gao Shun discovered that just knowing how to do things may not necessarily make him effective. At least this method was not very effective on Lu Bu's side.

Lü Bu didn't know what Gao Shun had done, because when Lu Bu gave the order, it seemed that Gao Shun had done it "easily" and done it well. This sometimes makes Lu Bu wonder, can Gao Shun do more?

 After all, Gao Shun never said that he worked hard.

So Lu Bu later became somewhat suspicious of Gao Shun.

Of course, Lu Bu will have doubts about Gao Shun, and there are other reasons...

Gao Shun frowned and walked back and forth in the festival hall in Yumen Pass with his hands behind his back.

It is said that Li Ru left some rules and regulations and strategies for stabilizing the Western Regions to Lu Bu during his lifetime. It would certainly be good if Lu Bu followed these systems and strategies and implemented them honestly. But if Lu Bu did not do this... But the problem is Did Li Ru also predict this result, and then was this result equally acceptable and "very good" to Li Ru?

No matter which direction Lu Bu chooses, is it actually okay for Li Ru?

If that's the case, Gao Shun swallowed. He hurriedly walked to the desk and picked up the pen. When he was about to write, he thought of something else and was stunned. He couldn't write it down.

 The pen is hanging in the air, as if it weighs a thousand pounds.

 After a moment, Gao Shun put down his pen, sighed, and then sat blankly in silence for a long, long time.

It wasn't until the light and shadow set to the west and the sunset invaded the hall that Gao Shun added some water to the inkstone again to melt the dried ink. Then he picked up the pen again and wrote two letters, one to Chang'an and one to Chang'an. It is sent to the Western Regions...

 …(〒︿〒)…

Shortly after Gao Shungang sent out the letter, Lu Bu's edict came.

Gao Shun still thought that Lu Bu would reply so quickly, but he didn't expect that the edict only asked him to hang the horse thieves.

Although from a military point of view, it is somewhat strange to use Gao Shun from Yumen Pass instead of soldiers from the Western Regions, and then transfer troops from the east to the west to exterminate the horse thieves in the west of the West Sea. But in any case, since it is Lu Bu Gao Shun naturally obeyed the military orders issued.

Perhaps this will give you a chance to talk to Lu Bu in person?

Gao Shun thought this way, and then led his troops to the West Sea.

 July 13th.

When Gao Shun arrived at the West Sea, he found that the West Sea was more prosperous than before. Although such prosperity really made Gao Shun feel happy. After all, he followed Lu Bu and Li Ru back then, and little by little he grew up in this desolate land. A new city was built. But for some reason, the bustling scenery in front of him made Gao Shuncong feel a strong sense of uneasiness in his heart.

 The weather is very sunny.

The so-called horse thieves in the west of Xihai who "act for heaven" don't seem to cause much panic to the people in Xihai City. They don't even feel panic at all. Instead, they are immersed in the upcoming Dharma ceremony.

Obon Dharma Ceremony.

 Or is it called the July 15th celebration?

  Or some other name?

 Many people in Xihai City actually don’t know the reason, or are clear about the origin of the Dharma Assembly. They just know that it is going to be lively and celebrated, and they can have running water mats to eat, and their belts can be loosened a little...

 Everyone is happy, both high and low, rich and poor alike.

In any feudal dynasty, no matter how rich the rich are, there may be some gaps and differences in the scale of wealth between the rich, but the poor are always the same poor, opening themselves up every day, every month, every year When you pick up your money bag, you will find that the money bag is cleaner than your face. Therefore, every penny of the poor's money is said to be innocent.

For these relatively poor people, being able to eat on a flowing table for free for a day, even if they can only eat one meal, is enough as long as they can let go of their belly and eat until they feel a strong sense of fullness. They have dreamed of it for a long time, but have never achieved a major goal in life.

For the rich, all-you-can-eat is definitely not a special goal. They care more about communication and socialization, even if they are talking about the new fair-skinned Hu lady from a certain place, or who is dating Whoever fights over jealousy can satisfy their desire for privacy.

Of course, the rich are more concerned about their money, or whether they can continue to get rich day by day, month by month, year by year, and get rich from generation to generation. Therefore, the rich second generation are particularly interested in things like romance, romance, and romance. As for those wealthy people who are in charge, most of them are thinking about how to establish some relationships with powerful people to ensure that their wealth is not lost.

 Such a Dharma gathering just provides these rich people with the best communication platform, and also provides these rich people with an opportunity to show their faces in front of Lu Bu, so why not make these rich people happy?

 The poor are happy, and so are the rich.

 Lü Bu was happy, and Wei Xu and others were busy and happy too.

 Under such circumstances, the "ignorant" Gao Shun was naturally a little out of place.

Gao Shun has strong military management ability, but his emotional intelligence is not high.

Perhaps Gao Shun disdains doing these so-called "emotional intelligence" things. He is like a sword with one edge.

Maybe it's because in the army, one is one, two is two, and he is used to being direct, so Gao Shun is not interested in these interpersonal interactions at all.

This is also due to Gao Shun's character. He feels that as a minister, he must be loyal to his lord and say whatever he wants without being vague or shy. Therefore, after Gao Shun saw Lu Bu, he almost made Lu Bu hang up on the spot. Not shameful…

Lu Bu was originally very happy to see Gao Shun. After all, he hadn't seen him for a long time. But after a while, Lu Bu's expression changed from sunny to sunny, spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

“My lord, from the West Sea to Yumen Pass, there are a total of fifteen checkpoints. Only four places belong to Yumen Pass, and the rest belong to Xihai City. At the time of Li Changshi, there were three checkpoints on the east and west sides of the Xihai Sea, and two checkpoints on the east and west sides of the Yumen Pass. Therefore, there should have been only five checkpoints from the Xihai Sea to the Yumen Gate, but now there are ten more checkpoints, and they are all said to have reached most of them. According to the approval document of the Protectorate, all pedestrians, caravans and vehicles will be inspected. If you give money and things, you can pass quickly. If you don't give them, they will not be checked for a long time, and you will have to find a reason to fine..."

  Lu Bu: "…"

“My lord, it’s not just the checkpoints where food and drink are required, but also the general military officers. When asked, he complained, saying that he had to take care of so many people and had to do so many things, how hard and tired he was. The implication was that what did he mean by eating, drinking and getting some? But the responsibilities of the official position itself are like this. If you feel that you are not qualified, you can just become an official. Why complain every day, only want benefits but do not want to take on responsibilities? This is the record of the general's investigation with the caravan at Yumen Pass. Duo Youyan said that at the market in Xihai City, some officials would just move away any goods they liked, and even put a note on them and it would be considered theirs. This Isn’t it just like grabbing Ming?”

  Lu Bu: "…"

　　　　My lord, the soldiers are also lacking in training. I asked about it and found out that the Xihai soldiers had only two major drills and five minor drills last year. According to the drill code, major drills were once every three months and minor drills were once a month. There were even imposters who used money and bribes to get through. This is a related situation. As far as the general drill is concerned, the armored cavalry accelerates and decelerates, chops three wooden stakes, and does not lose soldiers or people to pass. But now you only need to pay ten silver coins to count. Once, if you hand over thirty coins, you don’t even need to chop, you will be qualified by running around. If you hand in fifty coins, you don’t even need to mount the horse and run, you will just check the box and pass..."

The current exchange ratio of gold, silver and copper coins for the Hussar is roughly one gold coin for ten silver coins and one silver coin for one hundred copper coins. However, in fact, the Hussar currently has gold mines in hand, so the number of gold coins is more, and the silver coins are Production only increased after taking Sichuan and Shu, so the exchange rate between gold and silver coins fluctuated before.

But this fluctuation actually has little to do with ordinary people, because the vast majority of ordinary people still use copper coins to settle basic goods transactions in the private sector, and gold and silver coins are only used for large transactions between merchants, and This change in the exchange rate has also caused the emergence of some prototypes of financial speculators among the three auxiliaries of Chang'an...

Gao Shun didn't care that Lu Bu's face was getting darker and darker, and he fell out anyway.

If Gao Shun had better admonition skills, if Gao Shun could have more time and more opportunities to communicate with Lu Bu, if...

 But if, after all, it’s just if.

"enough! Lu Bu finally couldn't help it and shouted loudly, "You don't need to take care of these things!" You, you, you go out to hunt down thieves tomorrow! 』

　　　　　lord! ” Gao Shun wanted to say more.

　　　　I've said enough! You go to conquer the horse thieves first, and the rest... wait until you get back! ” Lu Bu no longer wanted to hear it.

Gao Shun didn’t intend to give up, “Lord! 』

"enough! Lu Bu glared angrily, "Why, you don't even want to listen to my orders now?" ! 』

“…” Gao Shun took a long breath, then took a step back, “I don’t dare. 』

Lu Bu was also silent for a while, and then softened his tone, "Boping, what you said is also good... But you go and pacify the horse thieves first... We will talk about the rest when you come back..."

Lu Bu said this again, and Gao Shun could only nod, "I obey the order." 』

Gao Shun did not persist. He thought it would be okay to wait until he got back.

Lu Bu also felt that he could wait until next time to talk about it. The contradictions and problems in front of him could be postponed for a day. Maybe it was just like what the eminent monks said. One day, with merit, these contradictions and problems would disappear on their own...

 (End of this chapter)