Chapter 2723 Everything Makes Sense

Zhang An was a small official in the imperial examination in the fifth year of Taixing. In the sixth year of Taixing, he came to the Western Regions and served as the supervisor and counselor of Xihai City in the Western Regions.

"counselor! Brother Zhang! help me! 』

On this day, Zhang An's friend Li Xin ran to Zhang An's home as night fell. He startled Zhang An when he said, "Brother Zhang, only you can save me from this matter!" 』

Li Xin is a minor official in the Duhu Mansion, responsible for document sorting, copying, filing and other trivial matters.

"Two days ago, my bad mouth... offended General Wei..." Li Xin looked a little pale and recounted what he said that day.

"This is not a big deal..." Zhang An said, "General Wei... that person is the most money-conscious. If not, just pay a share... Although this is not good, but... I still have some savings here. If you If it’s not enough, just use it first..."

"No, it's not about money..." Li Xin's face was still a little pale, "I'm afraid this matter can't be solved with money..."

"Money can't solve it?" Zhang An was a little surprised, "Didn't you just say a few words too much?" 』

Li Xin was silent for a moment, "This... this is just an introduction..."

"Introduction?" What on earth did you do? ” Zhang An asked.

Li Xin was silent for a moment before sighing, "I wrote more..."

"what? ” Zhang An asked subconsciously, and then immediately understood, “What did you write? You...you, you, shouldn't you..."

Li Xin's body was a little limp, "I... the memorial I wrote for Hussar was... was..."

"Oh! Zhang An frowned and almost wanted to stamp his feet, "You...I don't even dare to write...you are...cough!" 』

"I just couldn't get angry a while ago. Really, I just couldn't get angry... so I just wrote it. I didn't even think about handing it in..." Li Xin held her head, "I just... I worked hard to write it." They used it for free, and then they said they were using me because they valued me... This happened not once or twice, but I really couldn't bear it, so..."

"Then you can't write it either!" Look, who is in charge of affairs in the Western Region now? Protector? Believe it or not, your memorandum will never reach the Grand Protector! Zhang An also said anxiously, "Last time, did you forget how Counselor Wang from Zhiyin Prison died?" 』

"He wrote a letter of remonstrance to the Great Protector, and then what? 』

"Not only did the remonstrance seal disappear inexplicably, and the Great Protector didn't see it at all, but a group of people came to scold him, and some people accused him of expropriating people's wealth and extorting bribes..."

"What a pity!" Who doesn't know that in the Western Region, the people in Zhiyin Supervisor are the poorest among all the officials in the Protectorate? Counselor Wang just took advantage of his free time to go to the streets to write a few words for others, write letters for others, and exchange some money to support his family... This became the evidence of Counselor Wang's crime! Later, not only the government officials were talking about him, but also the people in the neighborhood were throwing feces into his house! The people who had written letters to him before heard about this and went to him one by one to beg for money! Give him alive..."

Li Xin held her head and said, "Stop talking!" I...Brother Zhang, save me, save me! Don’t you, Supervisor Zhiyin, have direct access to the General Hussar? Report this matter! Report it! I……"

Zhang An fell silent and didn't speak for a long time, just looking at Li Xin.

Li Xin's face became paler and paler, "No...can't you?" 』

"Not to mention that opening this dedicated direct channel requires the joint authorization of three or more counselors from the Zhiyin Supervisor... Even if it works, I will go find someone, ask for help, and report your matter... Are you sure you can wait until that day?" This time..." Zhang An sighed, "Sorry, I really can't help you..."

When Li Xin heard this, she was so devastated that she almost collapsed on the ground.

"How about..." Zhang An couldn't bear it when he saw this, and whispered, "If you really want to live...or run away...as long as you can escape back to Guanzhong, there is no way to talk about this..."

"right! ” Li Xin seemed to have grasped the last straw, “Yes! I can go back to Chang'an! Chang'an! 』

Zhang An stood up, then brought some money and handed it to Li Xin, "This is all I have left here... If you want to escape, you'd better hurry up... I have to find a way to deal with it in the past two days, and I may not have time to take care of it yet." You, in addition, the city defense may be looser... By the way, you'd better not wear official robes and pretend to be a herdsman. The leather robes should be older and your face should be smeared with plaster or something..."

"well! Li Xin agreed one by one. Just as he was about to leave, he stopped and asked, "Brother Zhang, how come you have so many solutions?" I also know that I want an old leather robe and put it on plaster..."

Zhang An was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said: "Actually... this is what I have thought about. If one day I have to escape... well, take care!" Be careful along the way..."

……o(╥﹏╥)o……

Yumen Pass.

Gao Shun would patrol the city every day, once in the morning and once in the evening, regardless of wind or rain or thunder.

When the weather is clear, you can faintly see some figures of Lop Nur. In the Han Dynasty, Heleshu did not dry up as much as it did in later generations. Even in the Western Regions, many small countries lived a very prosperous life and never considered the issue of water and soil.

It can be said that except for Fei Qian, no one in the entire world will pay attention to these "small issues".

"Colonel, the water level this year seems to have dropped one point compared to last year..." A small official stood beside Gao Shun, holding a volume in his hand, "Colonel, according to the instructions of the hussar, at the edge of the mooring We made the pillars and signs, and when I checked them two days ago, they seemed to be lower than last year..."

"seem? Gao Shun frowned.

"Uh...it's true, it has indeed dropped compared to the same time last year. ” The little official’s eyebrows jumped and he quickly added. He knew that what Gao Shun didn't like the most was Mohu's words, but he was used to it, so he forgot about it for a while.

In the Han Dynasty, there were still many water sources near Yumen Pass. In addition to Heleshu, there were also places such as Wuwachi, Xitugou, and Huoshaogou. However, these places were all related to Lop Nur, and the water level in Lop Nur dropped. , which means that the water levels in these places will also drop.

If it were other people, most of them would be bored with such tedious and repetitive tasks. Because there are no timely rewards for this kind of thing, you may do it for ten or twenty years, but it may not be of much use, and you won’t see it, or you won’t get any rewards in certain aspects, so the further you go, the more likely it will be. Will become more lazy.

Just like observing astronomical stars, everyone can look up at the sky at night. As long as the air pollution is not serious, you can see the stars. The difference between ancient times and later generations is just the difference in observation instruments, but there is no difference in doing this. No matter how difficult it is, the difficulty lies in serious and meticulous persistence, repetition, day after day, without slacking off.

"Arrange the records and send them to Chang'an. Gao Shun ordered.

Since it is an order, it must be followed to the letter.

Gao Shun never asked why, so he didn't like to explain why to his subordinates.

He will do what Lu Bu tells him, and he will also do what Qiao Qi tells him.

He is located at Yumen Pass, with Lu Bu to the west and Fei Qian to the east. This is not only true in terms of geography, but he actually looks like a character sandwiched between Lu Bu and Biao Qi.

Lu Bu didn't trust him very much.

Of course, Lu Bu is no longer the Marquis Wen he used to be.

Yumenguan is not Gao Shun's home, nor is Yanzhou.

"Colonel Captain!" Captain! "A soldier came to report, "The outpost encountered General Wei's bodyguard Yishi, and they are heading here! 』

Before, Wei Xu was just a personal guard who followed Lu Bu, resisting the halberd and holding the horse. Now he has become a general, and Gao Shun is still an unbeatable captain.

"..." Gao Shun was silent for a moment, "What are they here for?" 』

The soldier shook his head. Obviously, Wei Xu's personal guards didn't say anything, and they couldn't ask.

After a while, Gao Shun received a new report, saying that Wei Xu's personal guards had taken over a checkpoint twenty miles in front of Yumen Pass and were checking the passing pedestrians and caravans.

"Captain..." The soldier who came to report looked at Gao Shun with some caution, "How should this matter... be handled?" 』

"Come here, prepare your horses!" Gao Shun didn't waste much time. He got off the city wall and rushed to the front checkpoint.

When Wei Xu's personal guards saw Gao Shun coming, they exchanged greetings with each other, but they didn't show much fear or panic.

"I've seen the high school captain. "The commander of Wei Xu's bodyguard came forward to see him.

Gao Shun frowned and said, "You are here, do you have any military orders?" 』

"According to the order of my general, the fugitive soldiers were captured and brought back to prison. ” Shichang said, as if one plus one equals two.

"Fugitive soldiers?" Gao Shun pondered for a moment, and then said, "To take over the sentry post, you need a military order. Please get the military order and write it down!" 』

"Reporting to the high school captain, most of the guards have orders. Due to the vastness of the Western Region, it is inconvenient to convey information. Therefore, the army of less than 30 people can go to their own devices first and report later. "The chief said calmly, "I have only ten people here... and the general's checkpoint is only three corps. Even if they are all added together, they are still less than thirty, so I didn't violate military regulations... I wonder if Captain Gao Gao had any other orders? If not, please ask the Gao Gao Lieutenant to be lenient. After Rong captures the deserter, he will naturally return the sentry post to its owner. Please rest assured, Gao Gao Lieutenant. 』

With less than thirty people, it’s easy to do things.

There is indeed this rule in the Western Region Protectorate. After all, not all places can get approval from superiors in time.

But the problem is that this checkpoint is only twenty miles away from Yumen Pass, so it is not a place that cannot be reported at all.

But it doesn't seem so strange, because after this regulation was implemented, many people were mobilized according to this regulation, but very few were reported. In some places, twenty-nine people were even dispatched, and then several more...

It was said that the limit was once set at fifty people. Later, when these things happened too many times, it was lowered to thirty people.

After all, if there are policies, then there are so many things...

Gao Shun was silent for a moment, and then waved.

Unless Gao Shun is prepared not to abide by this regulation, there is really no way to violate it. There are regulations in terms of regulations, and in terms of rank, although Gao Shun's rank is higher than that of Shi, he is the chief of Wei Xu's bodyguard. It depends on the owner to beat the dog. Unless Gao Shun wants to fall out with Wei Xu now, he won't do it now. Good to do something.

The chief of Wei Xu's personal guard nodded, saluted Gao Shun, then turned around and shouted.

Although several of Wei Xu's personal guards did not speak, and there was no problem with etiquette, there was a hint of contempt in their expressions, which made the soldiers around Gao Shun somewhat angry, "Lieutenant, are you saying that we just let them take over?" This is our checkpoint! 』

"Those who stay in one group, keep an eye on what they are doing..." Gao Shun ordered, "Since they follow military regulations, we also act in accordance with the laws... deserters?" Hum, when the time comes, you will catch them and bring them to me..."

Gao Shun felt that this matter was a bit strange.

Deserting is generally not a big deal. In which generation would there be no deserters?

And most of the time, the general's personal guards do serve as "military police", arresting deserters and supervising soldiers who retreat on the battlefield, so there seems to be no problem.

If Gao Shun wasn't careful, this matter might just go away.

But in fact, desertion is very common in Shandong. Even Gao Shun's subordinates had deserters when they were in Yanzhou. Because the training from a new recruit to a trapped camp cannot be achieved by just messing around twice a day. Hard work is necessary, and you may even die of exhaustion on the spot during practice. Therefore, it is too common for the soldiers recruited in Shandong to simply make a living and leave when something goes wrong.

But after arriving in Guanzhong, the situation was different.

In Guanzhong, there were almost no deserters.

Moreover, in Guanzhong, recruits will not be trained as soon as they come up. Instead, they will have a recruit training camp stage. During this stage, the level of training will be gradually intensified and the recruits will be diverted. After all, not everyone They are all suitable for the heavy armor and strong weapons mode similar to the trapped camp. The weaker ones can take the archer line, and the smaller ones can take the cavalry line. There is no need to force everyone to be heavy infantry.

At the same time, the most important point is that soldiers have good pay and benefits.

It’s like companies in later generations advocate the idea of ​​treating the company as their home. They always talk about being dedicated to their jobs and being dedicated, but they don’t give overtime pay and even voluntarily donate their salary. Do they still expect employees to coexist with the company? I'm afraid those who stay within the company either have not left due to some other reasons, or they have submitted their resume online and have not yet found their next employer...

Therefore, after Gao Shun arrived in Guanzhong, he hardly heard of any desertion incidents until he reached Yumen Pass in the Western Regions.

And now the deserters appear again?

Maybe it's just because of personal grudges, or something else?

Gao Shun left soldiers under surveillance and while the others returned to Yumen Pass first, not far from the checkpoint, a herdsman-like person appeared out of nowhere and followed a small group of caravans.

Outside Yumen Pass, it was desolate in later generations, but in the Han Dynasty, when Lop Nur had not dried up, Lop Nur was once thought to be "a vast area of ​​three hundred miles, with water pavilions and no increase or decrease in winter and summer." However, in fact, due to water and soil reasons, Lop Nur Lop Nur continued to shrink. By the Qing Dynasty, even when the water rose, Lop Nur was only "eighty or ninety miles long from east to west and two to three miles or one or two miles wide from north to south." It became a mere small lake. .

Lop Nur in the Han Dynasty was very large, and there were many herdsmen grazing around to make a living.

Of course the caravan leader saw the herdsman's actions, but he didn't say anything, because Yumen Pass is a pass, but it can also be regarded as a relatively large city in the surrounding area. Some herdsmen went to Yumenguan to exchange for some oil, salt or something, which was really unusual. Anyway, as long as the herdsman doesn't do anything extraordinary, is it possible that the caravan can still express arrogantly that this road is its own and no one else is allowed to follow it?

The herdsman was carrying a bag of leather on his shoulders, tied up with a few hemp ropes. Perhaps because the leather blocked his sight, the herdsman always tilted his head and looked at the road.

The herdsmen followed the caravan and wandered forward. Not far away, they suddenly found a lot of people staying at the checkpoint in front of them.

In fact, this is not a normal phenomenon.

But those who are inexperienced, or who do not know much about the situation at Yumen Pass, cannot detect anything from this abnormal phenomenon.

Normally, this checkpoint would not conduct a detailed search of the caravan again.

From the front checkpoint to Yumen Pass, only two places will be searched in detail. One is the forward camp a hundred miles away, and the other is in front of Yumen Pass. There will be no additional searches at the small checkpoint in the middle. of.

Because the main responsibility of this checkpoint is to prevent risks, the main purpose is to detect whether there are any abnormalities. For example, when a caravan passes through the first checkpoint, there are 100 people, but when it reaches the last checkpoint, there are only 90 people left, or it changes. It became one hundred and ten people, or maybe the cargo was originally written as ten cars, and then in an instant it became twelve cars, etc.

In about ten days, the code words with specially selected words will be changed once. The commander of the checkpoint will confirm the situation of the caravan or other passers-by based on the approval on the road ahead. If anything is found to be wrong, he will not immediately It breaks out on the spot, but according to the predetermined situation, or uses intermittent smoke, or uses semaphores, or other methods to summon the rangers near Yumen Pass, in the luck and joy of these people thinking that they can get away with it. , giving them a heavy blow.

Checkpoints are set up next to the road.

There were several blocks erected on the road to resist horses, as well as some crude wooden fences. Of course, these things are only for roads. If you have Mr. Bei's ability, you don't need to take this road at all.

"Stand still!" Get in line! take inspection! 』

A soldier wearing armor shouted loudly, his eyes scanning back and forth in the queue, as if searching for something.

The herdsman's face seemed a little pale. He recognized the logos on the armor, which represented Wei Xu's personal guards.

He was a little hesitant, not knowing whether to turn around and leave now, or follow the caravan and take a look ahead...