The Moon Over Tang Dynasty Chapter 207

Chapter 207: Ambush from all sides and military treatment

 Xizhou City is surrounded by cliffs, and only the east gate allows people to enter and exit all year round. However, everyone in Xizhou knows that this city with a high platform actually has three gates. In addition to the east gate for daily access, the west gate is the Victory Gate, which is opened every time the army triumphs. Facing the narrowest and most dangerous place in the river valley, there is a south gate. The dark iron-wood gate and suspension bridge stand on the steep slope. The top of the cliff makes people feel awe-inspiring as soon as they look at it.

On the morning of June 28th, when the rising sun dyed Xizhou a golden red, the heavy door suddenly opened, and the sturdy suspension bridge slowly fell on the rock wall on the other side. The grain carts that had been waiting in the open area outside the river valley quickly formed a long queue. They were led by horses and men from the suspension bridge into the city gate, and stopped at the school field south of the Duhu Mansion.

In a short time, the huge school ground was filled with grain trucks parked in various directions. Except for the occasional sound of horses neighing, there was silence. The drivers who drove the carriages usually loved chatting and gnashing their teeth, but now they all closed their lips tightly and looked around from time to time, secretly beating in their hearts.

Hundreds of sergeants with iron helmets on their heads and pieces of armor on their chests were lined up at the east and west ends of the school ground. Although the number was not very large, the chilling aura exuding from their bodies seemed to reach straight into the sky. Not to mention the cart drivers, even the merchants who came in with the cart did not dare to speak rashly after looking at each other for a few times. Some of them, who were well-informed, could tell at a glance that the appearance and demeanor of these hundreds of soldiers were very different from those of the Xizhou soldiers. They are serious elites of the Tang Army.

To the north of the school grounds, there are neat rows of granaries. In the open space in front of the granaries, the guandouguanhu used for weighing grains has long been placed. A dozen sergeants with the same solemn expressions stood with their hands behind their backs. Zhang Cao, a soldier from Xizhou, joined the army. Gao was accompanied by several officials in charge of grain, and he felt somewhat depressed - the collection of grain into the warehouse was originally the largest fat loss in the state. A little change in the tightness of the hands would bring a lot of benefits, but now it is easy to A decree issued by Pei Changshi to hand over the warehouse was all in vain. And these military masters in front of me are obviously not easy to get along with. You can tell from the gestures of playing with Dendrobium that there are quite a few veterans in this way, and there are also regulations on Dou and Dendrobium... I am afraid that not only will they not be fooled this time, but they will also be fooled. It takes a lot of caution to get this job done.

With the sound of boots, Su Nanjin, dressed in military uniform, led a dozen soldiers to the granary. With a glance, his face darkened, "How come Pei Changshi hasn't arrived yet?"

Zhang Gao smiled hurriedly and stepped forward, "Pei Changshi just sent someone to inform him, because today he not only has to collect grain, but also has to pay half of the money to the merchants who deliver the grain. He is going to prepare something. Will be there later.”

 Money and silk? Su Nanjin's lips curled up coldly. Didn't he just make a large sum of money from the Buddhist temple? This Pei Shouyue's methods of amassing money are really impressive. Now that the Holy Emperor and the Queen revere monks and nuns so much, he actually dares to attack a Buddhist temple! I'm afraid that if the scene is exposed in the future, I don't know what will happen to it! Besides, did he think what happened today could be solved with money and silk?

Su Nanjin's eyes passed over the custom-made buckets and dendrobium trees in the army, looked up at the sky, and sneered, "But I don't know how long it will take for Chang Shi to be ready? This food harvesting matter can't afford to be delayed. ?”

Zhang Gao said hurriedly, "Sir, please wait a moment. I will send someone to urge Chang Shi." He turned around and pointed to a servant and said, "Go quickly. When you find Chang Shi, you will tell him that Mr. Su has arrived. Please invite him." Come here as soon as possible."

Seeing the officer running away, Su Nanjin's face remained calm, "It's getting late, so if you have time to join the army, open the granary, and start collecting food now!"

Zhang Gao was startled, and Su Nanjin looked over with sharp eyes, "One hundred and twenty thousand shi of grain cannot be harvested in two or three days. If we don't hurry up, who will bear such heavy responsibility when the front army arrives? "

He was originally tall and his tone was aggressive. Zhang Gao couldn't help but take a step back. Remembering Pei Xingjian's previous instruction "not to conflict with Master Su", he still said calmly, "Then, then it will be as the Master said." He said to Guan Guan The clerk in the granary waved his hand, and he quickly took out the copper key from his arms and opened the four-bay granary in front of him.

Naturally, the granary in Xizhou was also excavated in the raw soil using the method of reducing land and leaving walls. However, the four native walls were deliberately left thin at the top and thick at the bottom. The entire shape is exactly like an upside-down rice bucket, and it is quite deep. It's long, and there's no light from the high windows, so it looks like four big, dark, hungry mouths.

As soon as the granary opened, there was a slight commotion among the waiting grain trucks. An Sanlang had already been waiting among the merchants. He bowed to Zhang Erlang in the crowd and saluted, "Zhang Qiwei, please go first."

Zhang Erlang is none other than the son of the Dunhuang Zhang family who was famous in Xizhou for his cattle theft case. He was not originally a businessman, but the profit from the grain collection this time was considerable, and he was cooperating with the government. Some wealthy squires were also willing to join, so Yasaburo couldn't refuse. Zhang Erlang probably wanted to show his sincerity in changing his mind, and he was even more enthusiastic. He managed to collect more than a thousand shi of corn this time, which was faster than ordinary merchants. An Sanlang had a plan with Pei Xingjian a few days ago, and today he was the first to arrange for him to deliver the food.

Zhang Erlang, who had been impatient for a long time, laughed when he heard this, crossed his hands and said thank you, and walked up with Anzaburo.

As for the others, Zhang Gao, who joined the army of Cangcao, couldn't help but screamed in pain when he saw Zhang Erlang. Why did this clan brother show up again at this juncture? At this time, I couldn't say much, I just gritted my teeth and winked at Zhang Erlang. Zhang Erlang was a little stunned and looked around confused. Zhang Gao sighed secretly, turned around and smiled at Su Su Nanjin, "Master Su, this time the food delivery is not only from merchants, but also from big families in Xizhou. Do you want to be introduced to me by an official..."

Su Nanjin waved her hand impatiently, "Just ask them to bring the grain and rice. Who has time to meet with them!"

Zhang Gao had no choice but to take two steps forward, smiled bitterly and whispered, "Brother, why were you the first to bring food up today?"

Anzaburo smiled and said, "Joining the army is just a joke. Although there are a few big households and two or three people who are not white this time, who dares to stand in front of the cavalry?" Zhang Erlang also laughed with pride - On Status If he didn't be the first to cross the border, who else could he be?

This was reasonable. Zhang Gao sighed inwardly and whispered, "Brother, be careful not to contradict Mr. Su." He waved the grain truck to stop in front of the warehouse, and a horseman and a servant stepped forward to unload it. Several baskets of grain and rice were poured into the four standing official dendrobium trees. According to the rules, after the official dendrobium is weighed and the quantity is recorded in the official document, it can be repacked into rice bags and transported to the official warehouse.

But after this fall, something unexpected happened: the four baskets of grain and rice in the grain truck were not enough for one bushel of dendrobium. A few sergeants shook it a few times, and more than an inch of rice was exposed on the surface of the bush. board. A sergeant said sternly, "It's still 20% short, let's add more!" Several Zhang family servants immediately stayed there.

Zhang Erlang originally wanted to say a few words to Zhang Gao, but when he heard the movement behind him, he hurriedly came over. Seeing this situation, he couldn't help shouting, "How could it be like this? This basket of mine is just one stone. There will only be more, so how can it be insufficient?”

Su Nanjin had been waiting there for a long time. When she heard this, she felt happy, but her face darkened, and she sneered, "How brave! You profiteers dare to cut corners to fool the military warehouse. Are you really tired of living? Come here. , Drag this profiteer down and give me twenty military sticks!” As the saying goes, this person who bumps into me must be given a hard lesson in order to teach these businessmen to be honest. At your mercy!

Zhang Erlang couldn't help but be stunned. When the sergeant came up to twist his hand, he said angrily, "Who is the profiteer? I am a cavalry officer in the Tang Dynasty. Who dares to touch me?"

Zhang Gao also hurriedly stopped in the middle, "No way! Mr. Su, Zhang Erlang is not a merchant, but comes from a wealthy family in Xizhou. He has been awarded a decorated officer for his military merits. He cannot be sentenced to death easily!"

Su Nanjin was stunned when he heard the word "Wu Qiwei". He would naturally not pay attention to any big family in Xizhou, but if the idiot in front of him was really a Wu Qiwei, things would be different. Although Wu Qiwei said He is the lowest rank among the officers, but it can be regarded as a serious status. Unlike the merchants, they will be beaten as long as no one is killed. Even when Pei Shouyue came, he said that he could not... His thoughts After turning around a few times, he waved his hands with a gloomy expression, "Wait!"

Several of Su Nanjin's soldiers also knew the importance, so they had stopped long ago and retreated after receiving this order. Su Nanjin looked at Zhang Erlang coldly and said, "Since you are an official of the Tang Dynasty, you should take the lead in observing the legal system of the Tang Dynasty. Can you do anything with the military rations? If you make noise and make trouble again and miss the military rations entering the warehouse, it will be me. If we can tolerate you, military law must not tolerate you! Why don't you retreat?”

Zhang Erlang stood there blankly, looking at the official hut that was obviously still empty, and then at his own grain basket. When he wanted to distinguish it, the sternness on the face in front of him was indeed a bit intimidating, but if How can I be willing to accept this? After thinking for a long time, he stamped his foot and said, "After handing over these four husks, take the rest back to me!"

An Sanlang looked at the officer and said in a moderate voice, "Don't be angry, Erlang. We will advance and retreat together with Erlang!"

Su Nanjin's face flashed with anger. This Zhang Qiwei was actually more courageous than he thought! If these people were allowed to take the grain away again today, wouldn't it become a joke to open a warehouse to collect grain? The first person to be hit was his face. He sneered and shouted, "No one is allowed to leave!"

Following his scolding, the formation of the three hundred Tang soldiers at both ends of the school grounds changed. In the blink of an eye, the entire school grounds was surrounded by the sound of footsteps. Then, with a "swipe" sound, the sword was unsheathed, and the bright light of the sword was dazzling. , many people exclaimed, even Zhang Gao's expression changed, and he hurriedly shouted, "Master Su!"

Su Nanjin's cold gaze slowly turned on the faces of Zhang Gao, An Sanlang and others, and said one by one, "Today's grain collection is a military matter. Whoever dares to disturb the situation should not blame Su for acting according to military law!" There is a father. With these three hundred elite soldiers under his command, if he lets a few merchants go crazy, he won't have to establish a foothold in Western Xinjiang in the future!

 Everyone was silent for a moment, and the air in the entire school grounds seemed to solidify. Zhang Erlang's face was full of anger, but when he saw the murderous eyes behind Su Nanjin, he did not dare to make any mistakes. During the stalemate, I heard someone in the distance say, "Brother Ziyu, what's going on?"

Zhang Gao and others immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Su Nanjin also raised the corners of his mouth, turned around, and raised his voice slightly, "Pei Changshi, you are late today!"

The soldiers who had sealed the entrance to the school grounds moved to both sides. Pei Xingjian, who was wearing a dark green robe, strode over quickly, holding hands from a distance, "Brother Ziyu, please forgive me. I just went to deal with the money for today's grain collection." It's a matter of silk. It's a step too late. It's just such a tense situation, but why? "

Su Nanjin glanced at An Sanlang and Zhang Erlang who were standing aside, with a smile full of ridicule, "You merchants and honorable officials in Xizhou are very brave. I used the official dendrobium in the military warehouse to collect grain, but they thought it was too much." Too big, you treat this as your own backyard and refuse to hand over food. How do you think we should deal with these people who flout military law?"

   Thank you all for your pink votes. It has now exceeded 160 votes. However, this week is the last week of the semester. I have to submit a group assignment before Friday. I will make up for the extra updates on the weekend. If it reaches 240, there will be additional updates on both weekend days, so I'd better continue to ask for pink...it's a double period now, and not asking for it will seem like I'm not dedicated, haha.

 (End of this chapter)

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