Under Gongsun Ming's intention to give in, the negotiations with the Black Mountain Army suddenly progressed rapidly. After only two days, the two sides reached a covenant of mutual assistance. The two parties agreed to demarcate eight counties, including Yijing. It was owned by Gongsun Xu, and they would never fight against each other. When one side was in trouble, all parties would help each other. Both sides expressed satisfaction with this covenant. Immediately, both sides began to withdraw their troops almost at the same time. Gongsun Mingliu left Lu Tao with three thousand troops to guard the square city. At the same time, Sun Mi led 10,000 Bohai Navy officers to return to the Bohai Navy. He led a main force of more than 32,000 people and escorted a large number of prisoners of war north to Jixian.
Gongsun Ming's troops were still on the way. When they heard that he was heading north, the counties in Youbeiping, which were still waiting to see, were shocked. Soon, Junmi County (today's Xinglong County), Xuyuan County (today's Zunhua County) were County) and other places, the former Gongsun Zan's old troops announced their surrender to Gongsun Ming. When the army was approaching Ji County, except for the eight cities assigned to Gongsun Xu, all the original Gongsun Zan's territory had been restored. Counting the cities in Bohai County, Under Gongsun Ming's rule, there were twelve cities west of the city, with a population of nearly one million, and the number of miscellaneous soldiers from various places reached 80,000. Of course, most of them were garrison troops from various places, and they were only nominally under Gongsun Ming's jurisdiction. , as to whether it can be adjusted, I'm afraid it remains to be seen.
It is a good thing to have a large territory, and it is also a good thing to have old troops return. However, Gongsun Ming was not fooled by this appearance. For no reason, because in his view, all political systems that cannot operate like an arm are in the desert. The high-rise buildings are simply vulnerable. Didn't you see that when Yi Jing was fiercely attacked by the Jizhou Army, those so-called old troops never showed up? And when Gongsun Ming fought with the Jizhou Army, those so-called old troops were also there. Looking on with cold eyes, it can be seen that it is hard to say how much loyalty this kind of people have.
Facing such a scattered situation, Gongsun Ming is actually quite anxious when it comes to being anxious. The question is, what can he do if he is anxious? When the foothold is not stable, being anxious is in vain. The reason is very simple. His generals are actually very anxious. There are a few, but Wenzhi's talent is lacking. Even if he can take down all the so-called old ministries in one fell swoop, where can he find replacement candidates? He can't just grab his eyebrows and beard by himself. The current plan is To put it simply, we can only take one step at a time.
"Report, Lord, the Lu, Wang, Su, and Zheng Xijia of Jixian County led tens of thousands of people in the city to hold a public sacrifice ceremony by the Wuding River and lay the foundation stone of a temple for Liu Yu and his son."
Gongsun Ming wanted to go safely, but others were obviously unwilling to give him such a chance. No, just when he led his army to the outskirts of Jixian County, he showed his power.
"How dare you be so rude as a bunch of thieves, my lord, please lead your troops to suppress them!"
Upon hearing Bao Ma's words, Gongsun Ming was not in a hurry to express his position. He just raised his eyebrows, but Shen Fei who was following him became angry and proudly recommended himself.
"No need. Hey, what a show of force. It's interesting. Zi Huan will lead his troops into the city. Brother Zi Long will just accompany me to the public memorial place."
Pressure? That will only further intensify the conflict, which is absolutely undesirable. Just ignore it. It will also not work. That is showing weakness. When the foundation is not stable, once the reputation is frustrated, the price will be high if you try to build it up again. , Gongsun Ming knew this very well. Even if he knew that there must be a black hand behind this so-called public sacrifice, he still had to take a risk.
"Lord..."
Hearing that Gong Sunming planned to rush to the public sacrifice site, Shen Fei became a little anxious and opened his mouth to remonstrate.
"Needless to say, this is certainly a show of force, but it is also a good opportunity for a certain person to win over the people. Don't worry, I have my own sense of proportion. Brother Zilong will follow you now. The rest will be led by Zihuan and enter the city immediately. !”
Before Shen Fei could finish his words, Gongsun Ming waved his hand and made a decision in an unquestionable tone. Then, regardless of the expressions of the soldiers, he shook the horse's reins and followed Zhao Yun one after another. He rode his horse and rushed to the place where the public sacrifice was...
The public memorial site is located in a flat open space by the Wuding River, with an area of dozens of hectares. It is already filled with people, probably no less than 60,000 people. It doesn't seem like a lot, but on a scale of this size For Jixian County, it is already amazing, nothing else. Since the Western Han Dynasty, although Jixian County has been the seat of Youzhou, due to its location on the border, it has been known as the largest city in Youzhou, but the size of the city is actually not that big. It's not very big, and the county's population is only about 80,000. In other words, the people who came to participate in the public sacrifice accounted for about 80%25 of the county's total population, which shows how high the reputation of the Liu family and his son is among the people.
"...Oh, Mr. Liu, it's so painful, Mr. Liu, his soul is back..."
When Gongsun Ming and Zhao Yun arrived together, on a small high platform made of dirt, a white-haired old man in scribe's uniform was weeping and reciting a eulogy. All the people in the audience were crying. There was an uproar, and the spectacle of such a scene made even Gongsun Ming two generations old, and it was inevitable that his scalp would go numb.
"Lord..."
Not only was Gongsun Ming frightened by the wailing gesture of the crowd, Zhao Yun, who was extremely courageous, also changed his expression. He was afraid that someone might do something bad to Gongsun Ming in the excitement of the crowd, so he quickly reached out and grasped the handle of the knife. He opened his mouth to persuade Gongsun Ming to withdraw first.
"Mr. Liu, go slowly. I'm late for someone. It's so painful and such a pity..."
Everyone has reached the end of the field, where can they evacuate? If he really leaves like this, then how can Gongsun Ming gain a foothold in Jixian, let alone develop and grow. Because of this, before Zhao Yun could finish his words, Gongsun Ming He quickly adjusted his emotions and showed off his superb acting skills that he had practiced in his previous life. His eyes suddenly turned red, and two lines of hot tears came out of his eyes. He cried hoarsely while stumbling along the sacrificial passage. He ran towards the high platform.
"Buzz..."
When Gongsun Ming came out halfway, the chief priest on the stage was immediately dumbfounded, and the people below the stage didn't know who Gongsun Ming was. They just saw that he was wearing bright armor and he was so young that they couldn't help but feel embarrassed. A chaotic discussion broke out, and the originally solemn atmosphere was suddenly ruined.
"stop!"
"Who are you? How dare you break in!"
"Back off!"
Amidst the chaos, several men guarding the platform finally came to their senses. When they saw Gongsun Ming rushing to the high platform, they all became angry. While scolding, they all rushed forward and tried to Gongsun Ming was subdued on the spot.
"Mr. Liu, you left too early. Gong Liu, I see you are here..."
The men who guarded the platform were all strong and strong, and they were good enough to intimidate ordinary people. However, if they wanted to stop a peerless warrior like Gongsun Ming, they were obviously too far behind. Before everyone could exert their strength, they came to Gongsun Ming's side. While wailing, he pulled at random with his hands, and several of the men guarding the platform were thrown to the ground...
