NFBE Chapter 298 "Spies"
Chapter 298 "Spies"
After the land of Western Shu was occupied by the rebels, they took advantage of the geographical advantage and blocked all the entrances and exits of Shu with layers of troops.
Fortunately, Shu, known as the Land of Abundance, is rich in resources. It does not trade with the outside world and only lacks some unimportant goods. It can live a good life by being self-sufficient.
When the King of Chu and the King of Xiang came together, they had no idea that Shu was so tightly blocked. Without the token given to them by the Regent, they could not enter Shu at all, let alone their personal safety. Even if they tried their best to sneak in, they would be caught as spies and thrown into prison.
Although the soldiers guarding Jianmen Pass followed the principle of letting in and not letting out, and only checked no more than a few dozen people passing through the pass every day, they still checked carefully and asked detailed questions.
King Zhao Yuanzuo of Chu was looking at the three people who looked like vendors who were being carefully checked in front of him. Suddenly, they were grabbed by the soldiers without any explanation, tied up and taken into the gate.
: "This is..." He turned around and looked at the dozen or so guards he brought with him. They didn't look like harmless good people at all!
"Brother Wang, we won't be arrested as spies, right?" King Xiang lowered his voice and said while biting his brother's ear.
"Now that we have reached this critical juncture, we cannot turn back and run away. We must just leave it to fate!" the King of Chu said in a low voice nervously.
When it was their turn to be interrogated, the King of Chu took out a small ebony token and said in a nervous voice, "We are here to travel in Shu. If you don't let us enter, we will go somewhere else."
The leading officer took the token and looked at it carefully, then he clasped his fists and bowed respectfully, saying, "Dear guests, please enter the customs."
The King of Chu relaxed his nervous heart, suppressed his doubts, and took the lead to walk into Jianmen Pass.
From the outside, the extremely steep Jianmen Pass seemed to be in good order. Teams of soldiers in bright armor were training in the distant parade ground, and the shouts of killing were deafening.
King Xiang sighed: "The spirit of these rebels is much stronger than that of the imperial guards. Their fighting power must be much stronger. If the two armies were to fight..."
The young officer who led the way turned around and smiled, and said proudly: "What are the imperial guards? Haven't you heard that the famous generals of the Song Dynasty, Pan Mei and Li Mo, led 60,000 troops to suppress the bandits and quell the rebellion, and we, the rebels, killed and wounded more than half of them and captured them? Li Mo, the Golden Eagle Divine Arrow, was buried in Shu."
King Xiang shook his head awkwardly and replied unhappily: "I've never heard of it!"
The young officer smiled and did not continue speaking. He led them through the pass and respectfully escorted them into Shu through the South Gate.
King Xiang sighed again: "The terrain of Jianmen Pass is really amazing. It is sandwiched between two mountains. The north side is steep and narrow, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack. The south side is flat and can be swooped down. No wonder Jianmen Pass has never been breached from the north since ancient times."
"One man can hold off ten thousand men, the reputation is well-deserved!" The King of Chu also sighed.
"If the imperial army wants to recapture Shu in the future, how should this war be fought?" King Xiang considered this issue anxiously.
"This matter can be considered by the Song Dynasty's God of War Regent Zhao Defang. Third brother, the two of us brothers should have a good time in Shu and stop talking about these things outside, lest we get caught as spies and never be able to return to the capital in this lifetime." The King of Chu reminded his third brother half-jokingly and half-seriously.
Since you are traveling, it is not just about sightseeing, the key point is to experience the different customs and cultures of different places.
When passing by a village, the King of Chu pointed with his whip and said, "Let's go into the village and take a look." Then he led the way into the village with great interest.
There are forty or fifty households in the village. The adobe houses have stone foundations, and the half-person-high courtyard walls are mostly made of stone, looking solid and neat.
There is a big locust tree at the entrance of the village. It is so thick that it takes three people to hug it. Its dense crown opens out like a giant umbrella, providing shade and shelter from the rain.
There were several small stone tables and some scattered wooden blocks under the tree. Several old farmers with gray hair were sitting around a stone table, drinking rough tea and chatting.
The King of Chu and the King of Xiang dismounted from their horses at a distance and walked forward, leading their horses.
Several old farmers looked at these nobles curiously and stood up in panic.
The King of Chu handed the reins to the guards, bowed politely and said, "Excuse me, gentlemen. I am passing by here and would like to ask for a drink of water. Can you give me a favor?"
"Convenient, convenient!" An old farmer in the lead smiled naively, hurriedly took out a large ceramic teapot from under the stone table, and took out several large coarse porcelain bowls from the bamboo basket, placed them on the stone table, and filled them with tea.
"The coarse tea and fresh water are all homemade. Please enjoy them, my dear guest."
The King of Chu and the King of Xiang thanked them, sat on the low wooden stool beside the stone table, picked up their bowls and began to drink.
The King of Chu took two sips to moisten his dry throat, put down the tea bowl, and smiled warmly: "Father, I see you are living a leisurely life. Didn't the war last year affect your village?"
"How can there be any panic or war?" The old farmer in the lead had a calm smile on his wrinkled face. "The imperial army didn't invade us, so we lived a peaceful life."
An old farmer nearby interrupted, "I heard that a general with golden arrows led a large army to sneak in from the Yinping trail, but was defeated by our Xishu soldiers and the entire army was wiped out. The prodigal general who used gold as a bow and arrow was also shot to death."
King Xiang was so angry that he said unhappily, "It was General Li Mo, the master of the golden arrow and divine bow."
The old farmer in the lead immediately became alert and looked the King of Chu and the King of Xiang up and down. "From your accents, you are from the capital, right? Are you spies?"
Several old farmers immediately stood up, clenched their fists, and glared angrily!
The guards quickly gathered together. Although they did not draw their weapons, they vigilantly formed an attack formation to protect the two noble princes.
The two sides are on the verge of a showdown due to the unequal strength! …
The King of Chu quickly ordered the guards to withdraw, and explained with a smile, "My dear father, you have misunderstood. Although we are from the capital, we are definitely not spies. Otherwise, how could the soldiers guarding Jianmen Pass let us in?"
King Xiang rolled his eyes and said confidently, "That's right. If we were spies, the soldiers at Jianmen Pass would have arrested us long ago. Why would they be so respectful and polite to welcome us into the pass and escort us back in?"
Were they escorted in respectfully by the soldiers at Jianmen Pass?
Out of their immense trust in the soldiers at Jianmen Pass, the old farmers immediately let down their guard, bowed their hands to apologize, and then sat down to chat with the distinguished guests.
The King of Chu and the King of Xiang learned a lot of information about Shu from these talkative old farmers.
The so-called rebels and bandits were the benevolent and righteous army in the eyes of the Shu people, and they were definitely their own people. Not only did they not harm the poor people, but they also gave them land to farm and reduced taxes, and only picked out those wealthy and unkind aristocratic families, wealthy and powerful people, and landlords.
The rebel leader "Wu Qiren" was regarded as a wise leader who could save the people in the eyes of the people of Shu. Those rebel bandits were the soldiers who helped the serfs to rise up and become masters of their own destiny. The young men in their families all joined the militia to defend their hometown.
The more the King of Chu and the King of Xiang listened, the more frightened they became. If this continued, the millions of people in Shu would turn to the rebels and bandits, and the entire nation would be mobilized to fight. It would be extremely difficult for the imperial court to retake Shu in the future!
"Father, who is the highest-ranking official in charge of Shu now?" Prince Xiang, who was not sure about the titles of the rebel officials, asked cautiously.
"I heard that 'Wu Junshi' is a mysterious and elusive man. I wonder what kind of person he is. The highest-ranking official in charge of Shu now is said to be named Luo, a handsome scholar in his twenties. I met him once. He is handsome, kind to others, and has no airs of a high-ranking official. It is a blessing for the people of Shu to have such an official!" The old man became more and more excited as he spoke.
The King of Chu and the King of Xiang looked at each other and were shocked. This Shu land was truly full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, and talented people were emerging in large numbers!