Chapter 38: Commander-in-Chief Outside the Pass
Zhenwu City is an important town outside the Pass. It is the headquarters of the commander of the 100,000-strong garrison outside the Pass. It is an out-and-out military city. The total number of soldiers and civilians inside and outside the city is about 100,000. The population of several important towns outside the Pass is second only to Tai'an City.
One hundred thousand people, in addition to soldiers, are their families.
But in fact, the population of Zhenwu City is far more than the number shown on the household registration, because there are still a large number of slaves here.
Great Qin does not allow slaves to exist, but in Zhenwu City, these people have another name: prisoners or criminals.
Whether they are prisoners caught in the war, bandits caught in the war against bandits, or guys caught for committing crimes, they will not be kept in prison and eat in vain.
Zhenwu City does not support idle people.
The captives were either beheaded to be used as fertilizer, or sold to sergeants as slaves, and the criminals were almost all from Da Qin. Naturally, these people could not be treated as slaves, even if Linghuye had the power People outside Guan Guan would not dare to do this. These criminals basically worked in the government's settlements.
Of course, it is normal for you to get sick or die in these places.
The officers and soldiers owned a large amount of land inside and outside Zhenwu City. They could not cultivate it themselves. The large amount of labor required was these captured prisoners.
In the eyes of the people in Zhenwu City, these people are naturally not considered human beings, but can only be regarded as humanoid animals.
One hundred thousand troops stationed outside the Pass are dispersedly stationed at major strategic locations, transportation thoroughfares, and important border towns. The only ones actually stationed in Zhenwu City are Linghuye's pro-army troops, about 10,000.
But the family members of officers above the rank of captain must live in Zhenwu City.
This is also one of Linghuye's methods to control the major generals outside the pass.
Ling Huye is a general conferred by the imperial court. The general is already at the pinnacle of military service.
Outside the customs, Linghuye also controlled administrative power in his hands, truly taking charge of the army and the people.
Under the command of the general, there are actually several other formal generals who were conferred by the imperial court, such as Xiao Changche's cavalry general.
Theoretically speaking, these formal generals who were entrusted by the imperial court have the power to command their own armies and open their own offices. However, outside the customs, only Xiao Changche has truly achieved this.
The remaining two important generals, such as General Wei Wan Feng and General Zuo Wang De, have become out-and-out vassals of Ling Huye. He lived in a luxurious mansion in Zhenwu City, surrounded by darling wives and concubines, and did nothing except stamping his seal when they needed to sign.
Of course, the benefits that should be given to them will not be less than a penny.
It is the annual day when generals stationed in various places return to Zhenwu City to report their duties. At this time of year, it is also the most solemn time in Zhenwu City, because rewards and punishments will also be carried out during this time.
Some people were happily promoted, some were dismissed from their posts with a sad look on their faces, and of course, some were dragged directly to the school grounds and beheaded.
When one person attains enlightenment, chickens and dogs ascend to heaven; conversely, when one person falls, naturally countless people related to him will be knocked down to dust.
This time of year is also an opportunity for the redistribution of power and wealth.
Of course, for some people, none of this matters.
Take Xiao Changche, for example.
At this moment, in the general's hall, dozens of generals above the rank of captain stood solemnly, and only four people were qualified to sit.
The first person on the left, General Xiao Changche, is currently filing his nails with a small file in boredom. Below him, General Wei Wan Feng sat.
Opposite Xiao Changche, sat a middle-aged man wearing civil official attire. He had a ruddy complexion and three strands of long beard neatly combed. He kept looking at Xiao Changche opposite with a smile. If he was matched with Put on a fan, and you look like a dog-headed strategist.
This is Secretary Li Guohua, who can be regarded as the most powerful person under Linghu Ye. The way he looked at Xiao Changche was full of caring.
It's just that Xiao Chang didn't seem to like him very much, and he didn't even raise his eyelids.
Below Li Guohua, General Wang De of the left sits.
The sound of footsteps sounded in the back hall, and Linghu Zhishu, a member of the army in the recording office, appeared in front of everyone. He glanced at everyone coldly and said loudly: "The general is here!"
Wow! With a sound, all the generals turned around and faced the tiger-skin chair at the top. Li Guohua, Wan Feng, and Wang De also stood up.
Only Xiao Changche slowly put the file in his hand back into the pocket on his waist, and then stood up. It seemed that he had some tacit understanding with him. He had just stood up straight. The body, the commander-in-chief of a hundred thousand troops outside the pass, and the nominal master Ling Huye appeared in everyone's sight.
Linghuye was very short, only reaching Xiao Changche's neck. He had a stocky build, a round face, and the corners of his mouth were slightly pulled down, which made him always look grim. The most eye-catching thing is that the two eyebrows are extremely thick and black, placed in a straight line above the eyes.
The generals below were all wearing formal attire, but he only wore a pair of robes casually.
“I’ve seen the commander-in-chief!” Everyone owed their respects, even the unruly Xiao Changche, who also saluted in a formal manner at this time.
"That's all." Linghuye waved his hand casually, looking at Xiao Changche who straightened up, with a smile on his face: "It's almost the end of the year, Changche's trip will bring those After cleaning up the stray horse thieves, we can also let the people outside the pass have a peaceful and happy New Year. Thank you for your hard work!" "Don't dare to talk about hardships when it's your job!" Xiao Changcai. "It's just that this year we are still short of half of our expenses. I would like to ask the general to take pity on our sons and sons and it is not easy to support their families. We should allocate money early so that they can have a good year."
Linghuye burst out laughing, "Changche, Changche, you talk to me, and before you finish three sentences, you ask for money, hahaha, is it possible that the two of us are related by a little money?"< br>
The three people sitting above also laughed.
Seeing them laughing, the captains below also laughed along with them. However, Xiao Changche turned his head and glanced at everyone, and the laughter immediately decreased by more than half. Even Wanfeng Wang De He also pursed his lips and suppressed his laughter.
Xiao Changche is really unreasonable.
If you piss him off, he will come and beat you up.
Not to mention the following captains, even Wan Feng and Wang De were blocked by him, scaring these two so much that they dared not go out. In the end, it was Linghu Zhishu who joined the army in the recording office and took the general's command arrow, and then let Xiao The long car leaves.
"Guohua, is it really still half the time?" Linghuye smiled and turned his head.
Secretary Li Guohua nodded: "This year's harvest is not good, and there are many noises in the court. The money and grain that should be allocated to us only reaches 70%. And because the barbarians continue to infiltrate, all places in the pass Many villages have suffered, many soldiers have died in battle, and the pension costs have increased greatly. There is nothing you can do, Xiao Chaqi, you are not the only one who is missing, everyone is missing!"
"Yes, yes, my subordinates, We only got 40%!" General Wei Wan Feng on the other side quickly responded, while several captains standing below lowered their heads with angry expressions on their faces.
They should be subordinates of General Wei Wan Feng.
Compared with the cavalry general Xiao Changche who was demanding salary forcefully, Wan Feng could only say that he, the general of the guard, was not short of money, but most of the soldiers and horses below lived on their salaries and various expenses. .
"Squeeze, squeeze, and give the long car a little more, no matter what, we must spend this New Year well!" Ling Huye said to Li Guohua.
"Yes!" Li Guohua said with cupped hands: "Then I will think of a way to see if I can squeeze out a little bit more! Commander, I am just a mortal, not a god, but it's really The money cannot be changed, and the generals of chariots and cavalry have taken 50%, which is the most among all the tribes. If they are given more money, the generals will be in trouble. "< br>
After hearing the song, he knew the elegant meaning. Wang Deli, the general from the left who had been watching the scenery, immediately spoke up: "Yes, Marshal, you can't be too biased towards General Xiao. We also come and go in the wind and rain. It’s been a hard year!”
Xiao Changche snorted coldly from his nose and didn’t bother to pay attention to this guy.
Linghuye laughed: "So, as a handsome man, I really have to conjure some money for everyone!"
Everyone looked at Linghuye.
Linghuye's smile slowly faded, and his thick eyebrows changed from a straight line to an inverted figure eight. The room suddenly became silent, as if even a pin dropped. It could be heard clearly on the ground.
Because everyone knows that Linghuye looks like he is about to kill someone.
Although this is a routine every year, it always makes people shudder at this moment.
"Zhishu, tell me!" Ling Huye's voice seemed to come from the Nine Nether Hell, making people feel chilly in the back.
“A few days ago, I went to greet Bachelor Zhang Ruozhang!” Linghu Zhishu said. "On the way, we encountered a group of barbarians. After a hard battle, our unit lost nearly forty soldiers before we were able to completely annihilate this group of barbarians. After this group of barbarians sneaked into the territory, they were already behind us. Six villages and towns were massacred, with more than a thousand civilians killed and injured."
"Good kill!" Wan Feng beamed, "The record office is really brave, these barbarians are not easy to deal with, defeat more with less. The battle is a classic!”
“That’s not the point!” Linghu Zhishu said with a smile. "The key point is that there is something strange about the process of these barbarians sneaking in and the cases they committed."
"Really? Barbarians drink hair and drink blood, they are extremely barbaric, and their actions cannot be judged by common sense, even if there are some That's understandable," Wan Feng said.
"General Wei, do you think that I and my subordinates are all living on dry food?" Linghu Zhishu said with a cold face: "This barbarian only slaughtered three villages along the way, and he is still very poor. A few villages and towns, and three more wealthy In the villages and towns, the murderer is someone else. This is someone who saw the barbarian infiltrating and thought he had an opportunity, so he dared to risk the world to kill my people, seize the money, and put the blame on the barbarian. "
< br>"Also Is there such a thing?" Wan Feng looked surprised, "It's not that Li Dachui again, is it?"
Linghu Zhishu laughed and looked down at the two rows of captains. "Tell me, who did it? ?”
At this point, the meaning is already obvious. The person who committed the crime is a certain general who was present today. Thinking of the direction of the barbarian’s infiltration announced earlier, the answer is already obvious. .
One of the captain's faces was gloomy and his body was swaying.
"Chen Liang, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?" Linghu Zhishu asked.
Chen Liang looked down at Wan Feng in despair.
Wan Feng suddenly jumped up, "Chen Liang, could it be you? You are so brave!"
(End of this chapter)