Chapter 308 Setting the bar to catch the beast (squeezing in an extra update)
Seeing Xue Li take the trap, Liu Feng felt it was time to take the plunge.
“Xue Gong is extravagant, but I don’t know how Mr. Zuo’s place is?”
Xue Li heard this and immediately took care of him: “You don’t have to worry about Zuo Rong’s place, I will do it for you. Write a letter with the details.”
“Zi Sheng, you don’t know that Zuo Rong is generous and generous. The wealth in his hands is several times more than that of my uncle. ”
The more Liu Feng heard, the more angry he became. These two beasts were squandering the land and taxes paid hard by the people of Xuzhou, as well as the government's savings.
Isn’t it reasonable to recover this wealth for the people of Xuzhou?
"Okay!"
Liu Feng's face showed a look of joy, and he solemnly promised Xue Li: "As long as Mr. Zhe is willing to help me succeed, I can make the decision on the position of prefect of Kuaiji. Use it to reward your merits."
When Xue Li heard this, he had a complicated expression on his face, showing envy and jealousy, but also a little angry.
After investing so much money, shouldn't he be as good as Zuo Rong who talks in vain?
Fortunately, Liu Feng continued: "Xue Gong's merits are even greater than those of Zhe Gong, and Xue Gong has lasted two thousand stones for a long time. I hope that Xue Gong can share my worries in Wu County."
Xue Li When I heard this, I was immediately overjoyed. Isn't this what I was busy with?
Obviously his old face was smiling like a chrysanthemum, but he still put on a gentlemanly demeanor and wanted to refuse.
Liu Feng could only suppress his nausea and continue to cooperate with Xue Li.
After finally staying up until the banquet was over, Liu Feng firmly declined Xue Li's request to stay overnight and left the city to return to the camp.
The next day Xue Li came to invite Liu Feng to the banquet and said that he had sent a letter to Jurong Zuirong.
Liu Feng declined Xue Li's invitation on the grounds that his troops were valuable and quick, and at the same time invited Xue Li to send troops together to attack Wu Commandery via Qu'a.
He also hinted in his words that Xue Li, the prefect of Wu County, could take office as long as he regained Qu'a and Dantu and opened up the connection with Guangling.
Xue Li couldn't bear this. He was tempted at that time, so he worked hard to gather his troops and gathered 6,000 people to send troops with Liu Feng.
Liu Feng naturally welcomed him. The number of troops Xue Li brought was not the point. The point was that the people came.
As a result, Liu Feng's team grew a lot and passed through Hushu County, heading for Jurong.
When Hushu County saw the army, the whole city was frightened.
At this age, whether it is an officer or a bandit, it will do great harm to the people.
Liu Feng also understood the people of Hushu County and sent people directly to Hushu to inform them that he was under Liu Feng, the imperial court's southern general. In addition, he also stated that his troops would be stationed outside the city and would only pass by through the city and would not enter the city to disturb the people.
Hushu County was originally trembling with fear, but when they heard that Liu Feng did not enter the city, they were overjoyed.
When Liu Feng's troops actually camped outside the city, the nobles, powerful people and civilians all over the city were inexplicably surprised.
I was shocked that Liu Feng actually did not enter the city and did not disturb the people. At the same time, I was happy that the whole city of Hushu was saved from military disaster.
So, Hushu City soon collected 800,000 yuan, 400 bolts of silk, 600 shi of rice, 600 shi of corn, 30 pigs and sheep, and 40 jars of wine. More than a hundred chickens and ducks, as well as three hundred kilograms of various seasonal fruits and vegetables, were sent out of the city to reward the soldiers.
After Liu Feng got the news, he ordered that the money and silk be divided into two parts, one part be kept in the public collection of the army, and the other part be sent to Xue Li's camp.
The food will be used as military rations, and after the livestock and wine arrive in Jurong tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, they will be distributed uniformly to reward the entire army.
At the same time, Liu Feng also called the small official who sent gifts out of the city to reward the army. After comforting him, he allowed him to return to the city.
In an instant, more than ten thousand people in Hushu City knew that Liu Zhengnan's army had strict military discipline and loved the people like sons.
The reputation of the Zhengnan Army Headquarters also spread in all directions as word of mouth spread among the people.
Xue Li did not expect that Liu Feng would give him half of the goods given to the army by Hushu City.
In terms of military strength alone, Liu Fengjun has an army of more than 26,000 people. It is not a problem to pretend to be a hundred thousand people.
I only have more than 6,000 songs, but I still got half of them. Nephew Liu Xian really values me.
Xue Li was very happy. This kind of thing that has both face and benefits is undoubtedly the most beautiful thing.
But Xue Li felt that as long as he was happy, there was no need to disturb his subordinates, so he could just let himself be happy on their behalf.
The reward that Liu Feng sent with great fanfare went into Xue Li's private collection quietly. Xue Li's friends obviously didn't even smell it. Although they were resentful in their hearts, they were somewhat used to it. .
Starting the next day, the distance to Jurong was only more than fifty miles. It could be reached in one day of urgent march, but Liu Feng still walked for two days before reaching Jurong.
Compared with Liu Feng's troops, the combat power of Xue Li's troops is far behind.
Therefore, they did not notice Liu Feng's troops deliberately slowing down their journey.
When Liu Feng and Xue Li arrived in Jurong, Zuo Rong went out of the city ten miles to greet them.
Completely different from Xue Li, Zuo Rong looks like a reckless man, with a big face, a thick neck, slender eyes, and a rather ugly appearance.
He was such an ugly monster who trapped and killed three county guards in three years. He was really ruthless.
At the same time, he also betrayed Tao Qian's trust. When Tao Qian needed support the most, he directly involved the treasury and tax revenue of three counties in Xuzhou, and fled with a group of tribes and Buddhist believers. .
This person has no credibility at all, and he has no humanity at all. He is a complete beast.
Zuo Rong is ugly, but the way he puts on can really bluff people.
After a long distance, Zuo Rong dismounted obediently and stood by the road.
When Liu Feng arrived, he personally greeted him and said: "Ze Rong, please pay your respects to General Zhengnan!"
I have to say that Zuo Rong is a bit ugly, but when put together, he is actually ugly. Some temperament comes.
Coupled with his martial arts style and bottomless flattery, it is no wonder that Zhu Hao was fooled one after another, from Tao Qian to Zhao Yu to Xue Li.
That is to say, Liu Yao has always looked down on martial artists, and he has a talented adviser like Xu Shao around him, and Liu Yao obeys Xu Shaoyan.
Otherwise, Zuo Rong might even add another state pastor to his record.
When Liu Yao and Liu Biao were fighting for Yuzhang, in order to win over Zhu Hao, he sent Zuo Rong to reinforce Zhu Hao first.
As a result, Xu Shao was already very ill at that time and was unable to find out about it in time.
When Xu Shao found out, his first reaction was that Zhu Hao was dead.
He immediately asked Liu Yao to send a message to Zhu Hao, telling Zhu Hao not to trust Zuo Rong, especially not to eat with Zuo Rong.
As a result, before the silk letter of warning arrived, Zhu Hao was already scratching his head at Zuo Rong's banquet.
It can be seen that Xu Shao still has some talent for judging people, but Liu Yao really can't keep up with Xu Shao in this regard.
Of course, it is also possible that Liu Yao deliberately wanted to kill Zhu Hao, but the problem is that Zhu Hao was relatively recognized by the people of Yuzhang at that time, and most of the people of Yuzhang were on Zhu Hao's side.
Because Zhu Hao was worshiped by the imperial court, he also recognized Liu Yao, the Yangzhou pastor who was worshiped by the imperial court. Liu Yao had no need to kill him. Not to mention that after Zhu Hao's death, Yuzhang fell apart directly. Liu Yao was unable to effectively rule Yuzhang until his death.
“I have heard for a long time that General Ze is a Buddhist general and is protected by Bodhisattvas. When I see him today, he is well-deserved.”
In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the mainstream religion was my Taoist brother. Why don’t I play with you? If you are greedy for land, I will not play with you about refusing to pay taxes. If you want to play, play big, and change your life in another day!
Buddhism is still only a minority sect these days, and Zuo Rong is already considered a leader in Buddhism.
Without Zuo Rong, there would be very few people in Xuzhou who believed in Buddhism.
Ze Rong was corrupt in Xuzhou and exploited the common people. A lot of the money he gained was used to build luxurious Buddhist temples. He used gold and brass to cast giant Buddhas, and then used brocade to dress and decorate the Buddha statues.
This beast also held a Buddha Bathing Festival, provided free meals, and attracted more than 10,000 believers at once.
It was these Buddhist believers who followed Zuo Rong and swept through Tao Qian's family, then fled south, and also trapped and killed Guangling prefect Zhao Yu. Otherwise, Zuo Rong would not be able to move so much money, silk and food by himself.
The funniest thing is that this set of things created by this beast was actually regarded as the standard of Buddhism in later generations. Various large-scale Buddhist activities in later generations were adapted and adapted based on the process of the Buddha Bathing Festival activities carried out by this beast. expanded.
It has to be said that this beast still has a lot of talents, but he has not used them in a proper way. Otherwise, as Feng Chang among the nine ministers, he might really be able to establish a sect.
At this time, Liu Feng addressed himself as a Buddha and general, which could be said to have captured Zuo Rong's itchy spot.
He immediately replied: "I didn't expect that Zhengnan also studied Buddhism?"
Liu Feng smiled and nodded: "I know a little bit, but I can't be regarded as a pious General Zuo."
Zuo Rong burst out laughing, feeling quite cheerful.
But Liu Feng knew what kind of devil was hidden under this appearance, and he would not believe him at all.
"The Grandmaster Zhengnan is here. Rong has already held a banquet in the city, and he also invites the Grandmaster Zhengnan to come."
Coming, coming. Zuo Rong's banquet is confusing.
Everyone who understands understands.
Fortunately, Liu Feng had already made preparations, and immediately said: "General Ze's kindness is hard to refuse, how dare Feng disobey his order?"
Xue Li on the side also joked: "General Ze is hiding I bought a lot of fine wine, so I can’t be stingy today.”
Ze Rong laughed and said, “Mr. >For a while, the atmosphere was quite good.
Immediately, the three of them walked towards Jurong under the guidance of Zuo Rong, talking and laughing.
Just as the three of them entered the city, an accident happened.
The three of them were talking and laughing when they suddenly heard a quarrel coming from behind, suddenly breaking the harmonious atmosphere.
The three of them looked back and saw that the soldiers following Liu Feng had been stopped by the city gate defenders.
“What’s going on?”
Zuo Rong's face darkened, and he stared at the city gate Sima with an unkind look.
After being stared at by Zuo Rong, Sima couldn't help but immediately knelt down, his body still trembling a little.
Even though he was so scared, City Gate Sima continued to explain: "My lord, General Zhengnan has too many soldiers. I really dare not let them go without my lord's order." Enter the city. "
At this time, Zuo Rong realized that something was wrong with Liu Feng's soldiers. There were as many as seven or eight hundred people, which was enough for a captain's department.
Moreover, all of these soldiers were wearing armor, and the breastplates they wore were even made of iron. Zuo Rong was stunned when he saw it, and strong greed flashed in his eyes.
Xue Li's soldiers on the side were much more normal, only about two hundred of them, and they were all dressed in leather armor.
"This..."
Ze Rong's eyes turned to Liu Feng, who smiled shyly and explained: "My father is worried about my safety, so he specially arranged it. I also It’s a shame that I disobeyed my father’s order.”
Ze Rong was so stunned that he almost forgot that Liu Zhengnan was only more than ten years old, and he was Liu Bei’s eldest son, so he was naturally his favorite.
It is normal to bring more soldiers and better equipment.
Zuo Rong's eyes swept over the soldiers, his eyes full of greed.
In his opinion, what qualifications does Liu Feng, a young boy, have to possess such elite warriors?
It’s just that there is still a need for this boy now. You have to coax the other person first, and sooner or later let him know that the world is dangerous.
But even so, Zuo Rong did not want such a strong group of troops to enter the city, so he opened his mouth to persuade Liu Feng to bring fewer people.
Unexpectedly, Xue Li came with a divine assist at this time: "These soldiers in Zhengnan have always been around, and it was the same when they were in Moling. Mr. Zhe, don't you feel sorry for the people in the house? Are you willing to reward these warriors? ”
As soon as Xue Li said this, it would be too stingy for Zuo Rong to ask Liu Fengping to withdraw his soldiers, and it would also deprive Liu Feng of his originally planned back-up role.
Ze Rong secretly hated Xue Li for interrupting randomly. If he had the opportunity in the future, he would definitely pull out his tongue to make him talk so much.
But on the surface, he smiled and nodded in agreement: "In that case, let's go into the city together, otherwise I'm afraid Mr. Xue will talk about this for several years."
As soon as Zuo Rong let go, the city gate Sima naturally let him go immediately.
Ze Rong's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and he felt that this city gate Sima was really a weakling, so he sent him back to see the Buddha.
The three of them came all the way to Jurong County Government Office.
After entering the county government office, Liu Feng spoke first and said: "I will have a banquet at General Zuo Rong's mansion. You and I will find an open space to rest in the mansion. We must not embarrass General Zuo. "
Immediately, Liu Feng pointed to an open space and said: "Go and stay over there, and you can get some refreshments to satisfy your hunger. If there is any trouble, you will be killed!"
When Zuo Rong heard this, he deliberately showed a look of dissatisfaction: "Why are you treating me less favorably in the expedition to the south? I think these warriors are all brave tiger warriors. I fell in love with them at first sight and liked them very much. Such warriors should be accompanied by wine and meat. Is it true that conquering the south should be accompanied by wine and meat?" Nan Dang really believed what Mr. Xue said and thought that I, Zuo Rong, was stingy and could not afford these meat and wine?"
When Liu Feng heard this, he apologized repeatedly.
Only then did Zuo Rong regain his smile and ordered his surroundings to quickly arrange fine wine and meat for Liu Feng's soldiers.
Then, the three of them entered the main hall. Zuo Rong had already prepared a banquet, and all kinds of delicacies were served.
At this moment, the eyes of Zuo Rong and Xue Li were attracted by the several guards behind Liu Feng.
I was far away before and didn’t pay attention, but now I can see it clearly.
Xu Chu's height and figure are really hard to hide no matter how hard you try. Compared with him, Zhao Fan, who was originally quite strong, immediately seemed very thin.
"This... I didn't expect Liu Zhengnan to have such a warrior under his command."
Ze Rong's eyes were fixed on Xu Chu, and he felt that he had never seen such a majestic warrior in his life.
He couldn't help but think about it, if I had this person to protect me, even if there were more than a hundred soldiers on the opposite side, what would I have to fear?
"General Zuo is overrated."
Liu Feng said modestly, turned back to look at Xu Chu and said: "This man is indeed my favorite general. He is brave and loyal. I am very sincere and lucky to have this person protecting me.”
Xu Chu listened to Liu Feng's praise. Although his face was calm, he was deeply moved in his heart.
Ze Rong was astonished and suddenly said: "I am also very fond of this person. I am willing to give you a hundred catties of gold in exchange for this general. How about conquering the south?"
This Zuo Rong didn't know whether he really liked Xu Chu that much or had other ideas, so he actually made an outrageous offer.
In any era, people at the upper levels rarely regard people at the lower levels as human beings.
Ze Rong even felt how generous and generous he was to ask for a strong man with a hundred gold.
One hundred pounds of gold, according to the official price, is one million yuan. If it is the market price, it can be exchanged for up to 1.5 million yuan.
One and a half million dollars for a warrior was indeed considered a luxury in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Unexpectedly, Liu Feng suddenly changed his color and scolded him on the spot: "General Zuo, be careful, I regard Zhongkang as my eldest brother, and I have a true brotherhood. How can I abandon my eldest brother for wealth and cut off his limbs? This is absolutely impossible. I hope General Ze will stop talking about it."
Liu Feng's righteous scolding not only made Xu Chu feel hot, but also Zhao Fan beside him. , the chest hides heat.
Ze Rong looked embarrassed, and a trace of killing intent flashed in his triangular eyes.
Xue Li sensed that something was wrong, and hurriedly came forward to smooth things over and said: "Ze Gong is just happy to see the hunter, and he likes warriors, which is human nature. Since Zheng Nan cannot give up his love, Zhe Gong will naturally not bring up the old matter again. In fact, in my opinion , This just proves that the two of them have the same preferences and are in the same camp."
Liu Feng almost sneered at Xue Li, how can you two trash be worthy of being in the same camp as me?
However, he also knew that Xue Li was talking about peace. Calculating the time, it was not the time to start yet, so he took the initiative to help Zuo Rong step down.
“Mr. Zuo is very righteous, Feng is young and energetic, but his words are inappropriate. I hope you will understand a little.”
Seeing Liu Feng’s submission, the coldness on Zuo Rong’s face immediately melted away Clean and tidy.
"What Zheng Nan said was Rong's disrespect. Why should I labor Zheng Nan to apologize?"
Ze Rong immediately said: "In that case, shall we have the banquet first?"
Xue Rong Liyi was very happy to see that the atmosphere on the court had improved again, and immediately joined in and said: "Hahaha, then I'm going to have a taste of your treasure."
"That's natural! ”
Ze Rong was very proud and asked people to bring up a number of wine jars, which contained various fine wines, all specialties from different regions. Xue Li clapped his hands in admiration when he saw them.
At this moment, Liu Feng suddenly said: "Wait a minute, you two!"
Both Zuo Rong and Xue Li looked back strangely, not understanding what Liu Feng meant.
In fact, it's easy to say. Liu Feng doesn't believe in Zuo Rong at all. He doesn't want to take a bite of the fine wine and delicacies here.
Although there were no poisons in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, there was no way there were colorless and odorless poisons.
Liang Jigui was a general and wanted to poison the young emperor. The poison he used was not instantaneous. The young emperor struggled for a long time, but because of Liang Ji's power, no one dared to save him. Son of Heaven.
But even so, Liu Feng did not intend to take risks.
He didn’t want to risk his own life on Zuo Rong’s integrity, especially when the other party was a beast that couldn’t even be considered a human being.
Calculate the time, everything outside and inside the city is about to be launched, I just need to delay it for a little longer.
(End of this chapter)