My country, you can pinch it

The sky at dawn, the morning glow printing and dyeing.

Liu Ke got out of the tent, took Luo Yun and two guards, and walked towards the high place facing the cold wind.At this moment, all the soldiers and refugees had assembled under the leadership of the officer, and they were watching him quietly one by one.

Liu Ke said: "I didn't sleep last night, I just thought about you drinking porridge, and the licked bowl was all in my mind." He smiled and asked, "Do you still want to drink?"

"Think!" All the refugees shouted with their eyes lit up.

Liu Ke raised his hand and pressed down, "It's a pity that we can't drink the porridge. If we want to drink it, we can only go to the city to drink it. Let Lu Zhizhou open a warehouse for us and let us go into the city. The king is thinking, will he agree?" ?”

These words made the eyes of the refugees darken. The biggest official in Yongliang is Lu Zhizhou. No one knows what he is better than these refugees.

Although no one answered Liu Ke's question, they were shaking their heads neatly, and some refugees even had despair in their eyes.

"This king doesn't know Lu Zhizhou. In the capital, I heard that Yongliang is prosperous in business and trade. Hu people from the Western Regions come and go in an endless stream. The people should live and work in peace and contentment. So I chose this fiefdom. I didn't expect to see Lu Zhizhou before, but I saw it first. The people under his rule, the people under the cold disaster!"

These people are all in ragged clothes, skinny and skinny, and their toes are exposed in the cold weather, and you can see the rotten chilblains... These are still good, at least alive, those who stayed on the mountain, and even died People, what a desolation.

"Why did you fall to this point?" Liu Ke asked, "When the cold comes, what about the food? Don't you know how to save the food for the winter?"

"Where do we get the food?" Suddenly someone in the crowd yelled, "God rewards the food, if we finally grow some food, those dog officials will send people to snatch it!"

"It's said to be paying taxes, but it gets heavier every year. Which winter didn't you come here hungry?"

"This year is a famine, and if there is heavy snow again, how can we survive? My old mother is like this... starved to death..." The man's eyes were red, and he burst into sobs.

This is what you said, the refugees finally let go and told them, they were so wronged, surrounded by people who were also struggling on the verge of death, no one sympathized with them at all, only here, listening to King Ning from the capital Naive and doubtful, he finally opened up his grief and indignation.

"There was still a place to live, but it was crushed by the heavy snow..."

"We are repairing the city wall, but we have no time to repair our own houses. God is not open, why don't we just destroy the city wall together!"

Obviously, Liu Ke already knew all these things from Zhao Xiucai, but the refugees shouted and said it again, which could still resonate with him and arouse his anger.

"You begged to come into town, didn't you?" he asked.

"I've been there, I've been there! We've knelt down to the officials and lords, but it's useless! Not even a single grain can be seen!"

"Master Ning, Yongliang has food, but he refuses to give it to us!"

"Not only didn't open the city gate, but also shot us with arrows, we were afraid!"

Speaking of this, someone directly rolled up his sleeves, "Master Ning, look here, this hole is shot by that arrow, I am lucky, I just hurt my hand, but my brother is gone!"

"The little one watched the big cow next door being shot through the chest by the arrow from above, the body might still be there!"

"We didn't want to cause trouble, we just wanted to have a place to stay and survive the winter."

"Master Ning, please make the decision for us! Please!"

"Please!"

Liu Ke's original intention was to arouse the anger of the refugees, so as to pave the way for the Wanmin petition against Lu Wanshan, but looking at the people kneeling together, he knew that he had only one way, and not killing Lu Wanshan was not enough to vent his anger !

"Okay!" Liu Ke shouted loudly, and he said with confidence, "I'm glad I came to Yongliang at this time. If I wait until the spring is warm and the flowers bloom, I'm afraid I won't be able to see you again, and I won't be able to hear these heartfelt words!"

He looked at the people kneeling on the ground and said: "As a parent, you have a heavy responsibility in the court. If you can't make the people under your rule warm and well-fed, it's dereliction of duty! When disaster strikes, guard the granary without saving it, and close the city gate. It is even more sinful to watch people starve to death and freeze to death! Not to mention killing people, what is the difference between this and bandits? Such people are not worthy of being officials or people. Bring him to justice! Tuanzi!"

Upon hearing this, Xiaotuanzi came up with the Four Treasures of the Study.

Liu Ke picked up the above petition and said loudly: "I will ask you again, is what you said true?"

"It's true!" shouted the refugee.

"The little ones are not deceiving!"

"If you deceive Lord Ning, you will be struck by lightning and killed by wild dogs!"

"We can swear any poisonous oath!"

"Please trust us!"

One was louder than the other, and one was more eager than the other. The refugees showed sincerity and wished to cut their hearts out.

"Okay!" Liu Ke waved his hand, "I trust you, if you can trust me, then put your fingerprints on this petition, arrive in Yongliang City in three days, and let me take this evidence Will Lu Wanshan's head fall to the ground, are you willing?"

Everyone looked at the petition involuntarily. There were almost no literate people here, but their eyes were burning, as if they were going to burn a hole out of it.

"Zhao Bufan!"

"The students are here."

"You read it and tell everyone what it says!"

"Yes!"

Zhao Bufan took a step forward and read aloud.

This petition was drafted by himself, and it listed the crimes of Lu Wanshan and his lackeys one by one.

Every time I write a word, what emerges in front of my eyes is a picture of a good wife with a gentle smile, arranging the wedding dress for the shy little girl, and then breaking them one by one, turning into a cold corpse on the beam, and the scene of being robbed without knowing it. Where is the girl.

He hated, hated himself for being useless, unable to avenge his wife, unable to find his sister back, he was eager, desperate to seize this opportunity and let those wicked people be killed.

So he carefully explained each crime, and encouraged the refugees, "...when we were starving, those dog officials raised their beds to warm their pillows, and the food that we cherish most, they were extravagant and wasted. They fattened up the wild dogs at the gate, and refused to give us a bite of food. We are not as good as animals in their eyes. Why! Folks, King Ning is the master for us, and we have to help him. This is the only thing we have. Think about your wife and children, think about your mother, we have to live!"

"Live!" the refugees shouted.

Someone yelled, "Kill the dog officer and open the city gate!"

Then all the refugees followed suit.

"Kill the dog officer and open the city gate!"

"Kill the dog officer and open the city gate!"

"Kill the dog officer and open the city gate!"

The resentment of being forced to leave, the fear of being on the verge of death, and the sorrow of family members leaving one by one, all the things buried in my heart turned into boundless anger and roared out.

The crowd was excited and resounded through the sky.

Fang Jinling who was in the carriage couldn't help but opened the curtain, saw the raised fists, and heard the screaming, subconsciously clenched the brocade quilt around his waist. He knew that the matter was half done.

And when the emotions reached a fixed point, suddenly an abrupt voice sounded from among the refugees, and a thin man shouted: "Master Ning Wang, what about our wife and children?"

This sentence instantly chilled the refugees above, and their eyes turned to Liu Ke again.

Yes, corrupt officials are going to be killed, but the most important thing is the living.

"Master Ning Wang, we will work hard for you, can we take them with us?"

"You let us do anything!"

Liu Ke raised his hand and suppressed his voice: "You should know that it's not far from Yongliang City, but it takes two or three days to walk for tens of miles, but if you take them with you, it may take you four or five days. , can’t get there.”

"Master Ning Wang!" Wang Mazi's heart was broken when he heard this, and he immediately knelt down with a plop, and then knelt down again.

Zhao Xiucai took a step forward, "Get up, and don't bring them with you. His Highness Prince Ning has intentions! Everyone, calm down and listen to King Ning."

Then everyone looked at Liu Ke eagerly, only to see the latter's face darkened, and his eyes were majestic: "You are now under the king's command, and you will follow the king to deal with corrupt officials. What do you say when you bring your wife and children? What kind of soldiers are you?" Same as you. If you don't even have this discipline, you might as well leave as soon as possible!"

As soon as this remark came out, there was a sudden silence around.

No matter how approachable Liu Ke was before, and his words were a little careless, but after all, he was a prince, a prince, a high-ranking nobleman, and he felt a little terrified when he saw his dark face.

"Then, what should we do then?"

"What should we do? Naturally let them stay where they are and wait!" Liu Ke said, "You also saw this morning that the camp in the rear is hurrying up to make pancakes. These rough pancakes are not only for you, but also for your wives and children! They can’t carry their shoulders and hands, unless we have the ability of our General Shang, otherwise, can they bear it if we take them on the road for dozens of miles? Are you willing to run around with them?”

Having said that, the refugees were stunned.

The partner next to Wang Mazi patted him on the shoulder and said happily: "Brother Mazi, that's great, Mr. Ning Wang is really thoughtful. That's right, sister-in-law and the others will drag you down instead. Why don't you stay on the mountain and wait for us to kill the dog officer?" , opened the city gate, wouldn’t it be nice to come pick them up again?”

Wang Mazi looked at Liu Ke, his eyes gradually turned red. He kowtowed deeply, stood up, and said to his companion, "From now on, my life will be Lord Ning's."

The refugees who had been worried for a whole day breathed a sigh of relief. Instead, they looked forward to leaving early to pick up their families from the mountain.

Thinking of the sweet porridge yesterday, I can't wait to let my mother-in-law taste it together.

After Liu Ke finished speaking, he went down the high slope, and someone else would take care of the rest for him.

Luo Yun shouted: "Okay, since everyone has heard clearly, hurry up here and press your fingerprints. After you finish pressing, go to the back and line up. After receiving the food for the day, we will set off as a whole army!"

"Bingtou, take the people below, come over one by one, don't squeeze anyone. You can press these places, don't forget to write your name."

"Master Commander, what should we do if we are illiterate?"

"I can't read, I always know my name, someone will write for you, why panic, hurry up and line up, it's late, I can't get enough food for you!" Bingtou roared, and everyone gathered immediately.

The whole crowd began to surge, and under the command of the chief, they went to the designated place one by one, where someone was waiting for them with a pen.

Wang Mazi reported his name, then raised his thin, dark hand, which was stained with red mud, and pressed his fingerprint under the name.

He looked at his own name curiously, and felt happy even if he didn't recognize it. The companion beside him said flatteredly, "Brother Mazi, so my name is like this, it's pretty."

"It's also the first time I've seen it." He gestured twice, even though he didn't look alike at all, he couldn't help being happy.

Suddenly, someone behind him patted him on the shoulder. Wang Mazi turned around and saw Zhao Xiucai, who smiled at him, "Wang Mazi, come here."

After the flesh-and-blood bandits pressed their fingerprints, they didn't leave in a hurry. Instead, they stayed nearby for a while. When they saw the thin man and the others, they nodded slightly before heading to the camp.

The gang leader stacked up the pancakes one by one, and shouted to the eager refugees: "Line up, don't squeeze, each person has one, and no one is allowed to take too much! There is water on the side, take a scoop to drink by yourself."

A sip of water and a pancake, not much, but it was pretty good for the refugees. Everyone was smiling and felt that they were with the right person.

Some people couldn't bear it and ate it directly, some ate half of it and hid the other half in their arms, and some just drank a few ladles of water, smelling the pancakes and being reluctant to eat them.

The refugees in twos and threes chatted and laughed with each other, which was rare and easy.

Taking advantage of this time, the meaty bandit holding the thick pancake raised his head, and squatted down to eat the pancake first. He ate it slowly and inconspicuously, and then gradually, another one squatted over.

"Fifth Brother, can we trust King Ning?"

The flesh-and-blood bandit gave him a sneering look, "Trust King Ning, why, you want to be good?"

"What else can you do if you don't follow the law, see the two women over there? The one-eyed boss was shot to death by one of them, and he can't escape!" The bandit sighed while holding the cake in his hand. He said, "If Lu Wanshan is really wiped out by King Ning, we can't stay on that mountain."

At this time, another person squatted over, "Huzi, you want to be a good person, so you have to ask King Ning if he will let you go."

"How do you say that?"

"Stupid, I was drugged last night and slept so dead, the cavalry didn't know when they came back with the corpse?"

"I know, but then, what happened to the corpse, where is there no corpse in this place?"

The man tore off half of the pancake and gave it to the bandit, saying, "Those corpses are the fat sheep we threw down the mountain before."

As soon as he said this, Hu Zi was taken aback. As a bandit, although he is not smart, he is definitely not stupid. He immediately smelled something different, "Fifth Brother..."

"Notify the brothers, those who don't want to die will follow up the mountain later, and don't come down." Hengrou said.

"Then...then we won't go into the city?" Huzi asked still.

"City?" Hengrou laughed, "Hu Zi, your life is about to be lost, you still want to enter the city?"

"Don't King Ning say he won't pursue it?" Hu Zi whispered.

"So these high-ranking officials have more eyes than eyes. Think about what they say they don't want to pursue?" said the gangster.

Huzi recalled for a while, his face suddenly became gloomy, and even the cake in his hand didn't smell good.

"Huzi, we suck blood at the edge of a knife, one life plus one life on our body, can we be the same as those refugees? When King Ning solves Lu Wanshan, we have to use us as an excuse to solve the big households in the city."

"It's not a good thing." Huzi said harshly.

"In comparison, Lu Wanshan is nothing, but we are not good people. It is in our interest for Lu Wanshan to live."

"Fifth brother, what do you mean?"

"King Ning wants to get rid of Lu Wanshan, don't we know?" The savage bandit stuffed the last bite into his mouth, "Tell brothers, when the refugees go up the mountain to find wives and children, we will also look for them. If we can't find them, we won't go down the mountain." .”

At this time, the soldiers began to shout at the top of their voices: "Come and assemble!"

"Let's go." After the flesh-and-blood bandits finished speaking, they patted their buttocks and got up to find their own team like ordinary refugees.

The others watched him go, looked left and right, and returned to their team.

"Set off--"

Under Luo Yun's order, after a day's delay, the team expanded by tens of thousands of people and finally set off again.

The bandits have their own secret codes, and a ten-mile journey is enough for them to spread throughout the entire refugee team.

However, with the praying mantis attacking the cicada and the oriole following behind, no matter how secretive the brutal bandit was, he had already been secretly identified by Zhao Xiucai, and he had already been the focus of attention.

Listening to the report below, Shang Chuqing nodded: "Understood, continue to monitor, don't hinder them from spreading the news."

"Yes."