Chapter 468: Shirking Responsibility
Xu Junfan, Zuo Yi and his group walked back, the atmosphere was low.
Zuo Yi was very upset. How could he explain to the emperor and the court that he had lost so much tax grain?
Xu Junfan also frowned and sighed.
Zuo Yi's eyes turned and he had an idea in his mind.
He looked at Lu Wei and others with suspicion, "Why did you carry so much pine oil?"
They only knew about pine oil when they came to Pingzhou. According to Lu Wei, it was used to start a fire.
Lu Wei looked puzzled, "It's easy to start a fire, so I brought it."
Zuo Yi further pressed him, "Then tell me why the Xianbei army appeared at that critical moment?"
Lu Wei looked humiliated, "Lord Zuo, what do you mean? Suspect that I colluded with the Xianbei? Do I have great ability or face to control the second prince of the Xianbei and his army?"
Xu Junfan did not speak, letting Zuo Yi play.
Zuo Yi: "You don't have to be so excited. I'm just talking about the facts. After all, the Xianbei army appeared by chance."
Lu Wei said excitedly, "Why did we encounter the Xianbei army? Lord Zuo, don't you know? How many times have I mentioned that I told you not to transport the grain and to turn back? Well, now something has happened, and you put the blame on me?"
Lu Wei's performance was like he had suffered a great injustice.
Xu Junfan hurriedly tried to smooth things over, "Lord Zuo, this matter is indeed not Lu Wei's fault. You must have misunderstood him."
Lu Wei smiled at him gratefully.
Zuo Yi simply changed the question, "Why did you burn so much grain?!"
Lu Wei looked puzzled, "If you don't burn it, leave it for the Xianbei army, so that they can eat and drink enough and then slaughter our Dali people?"
Zuo Yi: "In short, you shouldn't burn the tax grain! If you don't burn it, we can still let Lu Desheng send troops to take it back. Now, you burned it, and we don't even have a chance to take it back!"
"The tax grain is still in the old place, you can go back and grab it!" Lu Wei suggested sincerely.
Zuo Yi choked.
Lu Wei sneered in his heart, want to pass the blame to them? No way!
The people Lu Wei brought were also whispering to each other.
"This guy is an ungrateful person. I shouldn't have persuaded him to leave. Let him live and die with the tax grain, and let him experience the cruelty of the Xianbei army!"
"Do you really think you have nine lives? The ferocious bandits ran away when they saw the Xianbei army."
The person spoke in a low voice. Zuo Yi heard something vaguely. He immediately glanced over. After those people were silent, he looked at Lu Wei, "I don't care. This time, it's because you didn't protect the grain well. The responsibility lies with you in Pingzhou."
"So?"
"You in Pingzhou need to pay the grain tax again!"
Lu Wei sneered in his heart, and his face was still honest and easy-going. "You have to talk to our Lord Lu about this!" Let Lord Lu cut him!
They were very stiff on the way back to the Pingzhou Governor's Mansion.
When they returned to the post station, the two sides went their separate ways.
Xu Junfan grabbed Zuo Yi, "Let's pass the news of the tax grain being robbed back first?"
Xu Junfan also had his own little calculations when he said this. If this happened, he would definitely be accused of not doing his job well. If the news was passed back first, even if the emperor was dissatisfied with them, they were still in Pingzhou, and the punishment would not fall on them all at once. When they returned to Chang'an, the emperor would be more or less calm.
After Lu Wei returned, he quietly went to the governor's mansion.
That night, several more pigeons flew out of the Pingzhou governor's mansion. At the same time, Lu Songli also summoned Wang Dong.
South
After receiving the emperor's order, General Sun Ming summoned the army and marched north to respond to the court's mobilization and support the battlefield.
At this time, he was sitting in the carriage, studying the information in his hand with a serious face.
When he put down the information, he couldn't help but pinch his eyebrows. This battle was not easy to fight.
Northern Border, Baihe Town
Fu Jiangong stood in the afterglow of the setting sun and looked at Jinyang, which was occupied by Wuhuan and had already raised the flag of the Wuhuan tribe. His whole expression was very solemn.
One incompetent general will exhaust the whole army.
After losing Jinyang, he also lost all his face in his life.
He didn't know how the court would deal with him next, nor did he know if he would have a chance to avenge his previous shame, or even whether the court would let the Qin family rehabilitate and then come to the northern border to take over military affairs.
At this time, his personal guards ran over, "General, the court's support is coming!"
Fu Jiangong heard this, his eyes lit up, he still had a chance!
Chang'an
After sending support to the northern border and Bingzhou in succession, the court was still gathering supplies to prepare to support Youzhou and Pingzhou. At present, it has been gathered almost.
At this time, the news of Xu Junfan and Zuo Yi came-the tax grain of Pingzhou was robbed by the Xianbei army on the way back to Chang'an.
The two did not mention the matter of the bandits, because in their opinion, the grain that the bandits robbed was nothing, at most a small amount.
This matter made Song Mo very dissatisfied, thinking that Lu Desheng was not attentive. If he had sent more people to escort the tax grain, the tax grain would not have been robbed.
But at this time, Song Mo was still able to suppress his dissatisfaction.
At this time, someone spread the news that there was a salt lake in Longcheng, Liaoxi County, Pingzhou in the palace.
Zuo Anmin was stunned when he heard it. What does it mean? He was still hesitating, and there was no time...
After Li Jieying, the eunuch, secretly let someone pass the rumor to the emperor's ears, he erased the clues and hid his merits and fame.
Song Mo was furious. He found the salt lake but did not report it to the court, and mined it privately!
"Traitor! Really a traitor!"
Song Mo ignored the dissuasion of his ministers and directly cut off the weapons support to Pingzhou. Then, he issued another imperial edict to question Lü Desheng and deposed Lü Desheng from the position of governor.
At this time in Pingzhou, the offensive and defensive battle between Xianbei and Pingzhou was in a stalemate, and no one could do anything to the other.
In this tense and exhausting atmosphere, a rumor slowly spread in Pingzhou.
"I heard that the tax grain that we handed in from Pingzhou this year was robbed in Feiru County."
"Hiss, no? So much grain was robbed?"
"No, no, I heard that our Pingzhou grain transport team captain Lu Wei was alert and set a fire, burning part of the grain."
"That's good, that's good. At least so much tax grain was not taken away by the Xianbei."
"What's good? The tax grain was robbed, and the imperial envoy pushed the responsibility to us Pingzhou, saying that we did not protect the grain well, and ordered us Pingzhou to pay the grain tax again."
The common people were angry when they heard it.
"Why? We in Pingzhou have already paid the tax grain once!"
"Yes, I also heard that not long after the tax grain was transported away, the Xianbei invaded Youzhou and Pingzhou. Lord Lu advised the imperial envoys to return, but they didn't listen!"
"This is the fault of the imperial envoys and the court. They don't take responsibility themselves, but want the people of Pingzhou to make up for their mistakes?"
"What about Lord Lu? What does Lord Lu say?"
"Lord Lu must be very embarrassed."
"Then what should we do? Should we pay this tax grain?"
"Pay it, what the hell? To put it bluntly, after we pay the tax grain again, what if they encounter the Xianbei army again and are robbed again?"
"It won't be that unlucky, right?"
"I mean what if? Do we have to pay it again? This is totally unreasonable!"