Chapter 190 Prophecy
Chapter 190 Prophecy (Monthly Ticket Plus 3)
Before Shao Xun left Luoyang, he arranged the task of recruiting soldiers and handed it over to Wu Qian who came from Liang County to preside over it.
Yu Liang, the chief priest of the East Pavilion in the Taifu's office, had close contacts with Shao Xun and gradually had nothing to do, so he asked for leave and rushed to Luoyang from Xuchang to assist in the process - this was not the first time he had assisted in recruiting soldiers, so he was very familiar with it.
Xu Lang, the doorman, has already left the palace and is about to join the Right Guard of the Imperial Army as the chief officer of the Qiangnu Battalion, which is commonly known as one of the Simas of the three divisions (the Vanguard, the Qiangnu, and the Youji Battalion).
Xu Lang's official position was low, he was just a Sima in the palace, it was impossible for him to lead the vanguard camp as a general of the Tiger Guards like Wang Bing did. But it was also a good starting point for officialdom, and for someone like him who loved reading military books, it was even more to his liking, so he was about to take up the post happily.
However, due to the great increase in the number of imperial guards, the three battalions of the vanguard, strong crossbows and base were restored to the old system and were no longer directly led by the generals of the seven guards. Instead, a three-department supervisor was set up in the middle. The supervisor of the three departments of the right guard was Zhu Dan, a newcomer promoted by Emperor Sima Chi.
Xu Lang would not take up his post for another ten days, so he followed Wu Qian to recruit soldiers and gain experience.
In addition to these two people, there was another young man from the Zhou family of Runan, named Zhou Mo, nicknamed Anu. He was about twenty years old and didn't look anything special.
His father Zhou Jun had served as General of Andong and Governor of Yangzhou, his uncle Zhou Fu is the current Governor of Yangzhou, and his elder brother Zhou Xi (Zhou Boren) was a close minister of the previous emperor.
Shao Xun's relationship with the Zhou family of Runan can be traced back to the attack and defense of Biyong.
But at that time, the relationship was shallow and the exchanges were rare. As his fame grew, the Runan Zhou family increased their exchanges with him. At this time, the less famous direct descendants like Zhou Mo came - Shao Xun suspected that there was a "rating system" within these aristocratic families. The support you get is based on your achievements. No one is cheated and the price is fair.
Zhou Mo should be the representative of Runan Zhou’s investment in this direction.
For the big family, this is just a small direction among the many candidates they invest in, but as Yang Man said, for the family, this is just a small bet, but for the specific executor like him, it is everything.
He succeeded, and from then on the Zhou family would rely on him as the head.
He failed, and the Zhou family cut off ties with him.
The rules in troubled times are so simple and crude.
Yu, Xu and Zhou followed Wu Qian, with dozens of followers, and first went to a place on the bank of Luo River in the east of the city.
There is a Hebo Temple here. When everyone arrived, they saw crowds of people, shoulder to shoulder. Hundreds of dark-faced trackers were squeezing together, looking forward with their heads raised.
"Isn't that Hu Wu Fuzhi?" Wu Qian narrowed his eyes, looked for a long time, and asked.
"It's Hu Wuyanguo." Yu Liang took a glance and his eyes showed anger.
Although he admired Luyang Hou Shao Xun very much and often followed him around subconsciously, to the point that he was considered a core member of the "Shao Party", he still could not accept his sister marrying Shao Xun.
But what discouraged him was that his father was not very opposed and his mother did not say anything. This - am I wrong?
This guy Hu Wu Fuzhi has no drinking habits at all, which is really hateful.
"Into the water, into the water!" There was a commotion among the trackers and someone shouted.
After a while, Hu Wu Fuzhi followed two boatmen, boarded a small wooden boat, and rowed to the center of the river.
Hu Wu Fuzhi sat behind the desk in the cabin, taking a sip from the wine bowl while writing quickly, as if he was writing something.
After a while, Hu Wu Fuzhi finished writing the letter, stood up and read it aloud, then threw the letter into the river.
After doing this, he poured the wine in the pot into the river, muttering: "May the living and the dead praise, may the gods protect us, the ceremony is over!"
The boatman waved towards the shore, which immediately caused cheers.
"Hu Muban (Hu Muban) of Mount Tai was once summoned by the mountain god, asking him to bring a letter for his son-in-law He Bo. Many people believed in the letter and the news spread widely. It is not surprising that Hu Wu Fuzhi was invited to offer sacrifices to He Bo." Yu Liang was well-versed in classics, history, and strange stories, and was familiar with various strange stories, so he explained on the spot.
"Yuan Gui, do you believe it?" Xu Lang asked.
Yu Liang hesitated for a moment and didn't say whether he believed it or not.
Xu Lang smiled and said, "This matter must be a rumor. What I believe in is the way to govern the country."
Zhou Mo had been there for a short time, so he didn't interrupt at this time, but just watched silently.
"Okay, it's time to recruit soldiers." Wu Qian was illiterate and uneducated, but he had traveled extensively throughout his life. He immediately changed the subject and said, "Let's go and take a look."
The three of them had no objection and walked over with a group of followers.
"Zhao Huai?" A strong boatman was distributing sacrificial wine and meat to others. When he saw a group of people coming, he first stared at them, and then when he saw an acquaintance, he immediately called out.
"Ji Shou?" The man called "Zhao Huai" was standing behind Wu Qian and others. He was the sergeant of the first group of the Silver Spear Army. When he heard the shout, he looked carefully and found that it was an old acquaintance who used to pull the oars together.
Ji Shou handed the sacrificial meat to others to distribute, wiped his hands, walked over, bowed to Wu Qian and others, and then looked at Zhao Huai with complicated eyes.
Zhao Huai has changed.
The man stood there, his posture straight and his eyes clear, no longer the slightly hunched, cautious and submissive look he used to have.
He had a ring-handled sword hanging from his waist, his left hand naturally resting on the hilt, his right hand clenched into a fist hanging by his side, and as he walked, his hand swayed slightly back and forth in a very methodical manner.
The robe he was wearing was also new, and it seemed to be a brocade robe. I don’t know who gave it to him. In short, after not seeing him for several years, he had undergone a huge change from the inside out, as if he was a completely different person. I almost didn’t recognize him.
"Ji Jun, you haven't seen Zhao Huai for three or four years, right?" Wu Qian stepped forward and took Ji Shou's hand, saying with a smile, "Zhao Huai is now the sergeant of the Silver Spear Army, and he is in charge of ten soldiers. In the Battle of Chang'an, he cut off two heads of Xianbei, and in the Battle of Feixiang, he made new contributions. Even the Marquis of Luyang praised him for being 'brave and fierce.'"
"Marquis Luyang?" Ji Shou asked doubtfully.
"It's General Shao, the military officer. He sent us here to recruit soldiers last year. Have you forgotten?"
"Oh, it turns out to be a god who has descended to the earth." Ji Shou exchanged a glance with the people behind him, and it was unknown what opinions they were exchanging.
"Huh?" Wu Qian was stunned. How did these people know?
As if seeing Wu Qian's doubts, Ji Shou whispered, "There was a children's song yesterday, 'Taibai was born, Xuchang's reservoir opened; Luoshui stopped flowing, and the immortal appeared.'"
Before Wu Qian could react, the three people behind him all looked at Ji Shou with different expressions on their faces.
Taibai is in charge of soldiers and killing, which seems to explain why someone wanted to rob the Xuchang armory. It's human nature!
The sentence "When the Luo River stops flowing, the immortal will come out" is a bit difficult to understand.
But in the past ten years, first there were continuous severe droughts in Guanzhong, then there was a severe drought in Bingzhou. Who knows if there will be a severe drought in Henan one day?
It is unknown who spread this "nursery rhyme", but it was obviously directed at Marquis Luyang, because the rumor that he was the incarnation of the star Taibai had already spread among some scholar circles.
Don’t think that people today don’t believe this.
When Du Yu wrote an annotation for Zuo Zhuan, he mentioned: "Children do not have the ability to think, but they can make playful remarks, which seem to be true or false. Those who read widely and are able to think carefully should take note of these remarks, take them as a warning, and use them as a test for the future, which will benefit the world's education."
High-ranking officials in the court such as Du Yu believed that children were simple-minded and innocent and would not be disturbed too much. The nursery rhymes they sang might be right or wrong, and knowledgeable people should analyze them carefully to take them as a warning or to find them useful.
In addition, in astronomy at that time, it was believed that Mars came to the world as a child, singing and playing, which was called "prophecy".
This is a superstitious society!
Seeing Wu Qian and the others exchange glances in silence, Ji Shou glanced at the majestic Zhao Huai again, and said with a determined heart, "Since Shao Taibai is recruiting soldiers, we should follow his will."
There were seven or eight people behind him. When they heard the "leader" say this, they all said, "We are willing to follow General Shao."
Wu Qian came back to his senses, worried.
Ji Shou did not let him go, and respectfully called him "Mr. Wu" and urged him on.
Wu Qian was startled and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "How can I be worthy of being called 'Mr. Wu'?"
Ji Shou ignored him and just asked, "How many soldiers did you recruit this time?"
"Temporarily recruiting 1,200 people."
"That means we have to go to a few more places." Ji Shou said with a smile, "Some of my relatives and friends are working as farmhands outside, just like slaves. How about I secretly call them over and take refuge with the whole family to General Shao?"
"You have to be honest and do your duty." Wu Qian said.
"Of course." Ji Shou patted his chest and assured: "I have endured hardships all year round, I can work in the fields, I can move goods on the river, if I don't obey, I can beat you at will. I am not like those old thieves and fierce soldiers who don't obey discipline."
"Yes." Wu Qian nodded and said, "But I have to say that if it doesn't work out, we will stop sending them. We can't accept everyone."
“Okay, okay.” Ji Shou nodded repeatedly and agreed readily.
Afterwards, he called a few people and asked them to call their friends. In an instant, more than a hundred people came out, clamoring to join the army.
They are not stupid and they will not rush to join the army just because of a nursery rhyme.
The bigger reason was that every time Wu Qian came to recruit soldiers, he would bring some Silver Spear Army soldiers to tell their stories and use their experiences to attract these trackers and coolies.
After all, people yearn for a better life.
If you don't join the army, you won't die? You are too naive. The possibility of death is also very high.
In this case, they might as well join the army and give it a try - only the Imperial Guards and the Silver Spear Army are allowed to do so. If others come to recruit soldiers, they will hide away.
That afternoon, led by Ji Shou, Wu Qian and others went to several places and recruited four to five hundred people.
During the whole process, Yu Liang, Xu Lang and Zhou Mo were all worried and gloomy.
Yu Liang even thought about whether someone had framed Marquis Luyang, and locked his target on some people in the Taifu's court - sometimes, there is no need for direct orders from the superiors, and people who are eager to get promoted will take the initiative to jump out and use dirty means. Who could it be?
Alas, the tallest tree in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. What can we do?
But on the other hand, he was also a little shaken. What if this boy's song was true? Could it be true?
(End of this chapter)