Chapter 504: Today’s Daijun

Daijun, Xiling City.

The weather is already very cold. There is a foot of thick snow on the ground, and patches of white snow are still floating in the sky. At this time of year, for ordinary people, it is naturally best to stay at home. It would be best if you can lie in bed, which can save a lot of charcoal for heating. Of course, such people must be those who are not worried about having full stomachs. As for the poorer people, they still have to go out no matter how cold it is outside. Work in exchange for the meager rations every day.

Daijun was invaded by the Huns two years ago. From the border to a place not far from Xiling City, the Huns' footprints almost covered the entire Daijun. Except for some important towns, all the villages suffered. When the poison came, houses were burned, fields were trampled, and all valuable things were wiped out. The only good thing is that Daijun got the news earlier and evacuated most of the people as quickly as possible. Ding's losses were almost negligible.

At that time, Zilan gave up all frontal battles and switched to sticking to the strategy of important towns, which enabled Daijun to ensure the survival of the population and army to the greatest extent possible.

If people lose their land, they will lose both their land and their people. If they lose their land and save their people, it is still possible to regain what belongs to them. Zi Lan is very clear about this.

Those things that were taken away by the Huns were not brought back to the grassland. In the end, they all became the spoils of the Qin people. Regarding this result, Zilan could only shake his head and smile bitterly. In the end, whether it was Daijun or the Huns, , in this war, they are all being used and sacrificed. Compared to the Huns, whose entire clan was almost completely wiped out, my own generation of counties was relatively good.

Thinking of this, Zi Lan couldn't help but feel a little more resentful towards the King of Zhao, Zhao Wuji. Over the years, he has been patient and tolerant, but he still treats himself with the greatest malice and defends himself. He did not hesitate to weaken himself at the expense of the interests of the entire Dai County. But in the end, Zhao Guo gained nothing.

Resigned as Prime Minister. Returning to Daijun was the first step in his counterattack. Zhao Wuji believed that Daijun, a wasteland, could no longer help him, but would instead become a drag on him. As everyone knows, as long as there are people, they can create everything. Dai County has indeed suffered huge losses, but as long as the entire county works together, miracles can be created.

In the past two years, everyone in Dai County from Zilan down has been involved in post-war reconstruction work. Without money, Zilan took out all his belongings. Now Zilan's house can be said to be empty. Everything worth a little money was sold off, and his three meals a day were as simple as possible, including seeds, cattle and sheep, everything had to be purchased.

After two years of hard work, Dai Jun has now changed drastically. Although he is still far from his prosperous past, he has survived the most difficult days anyway.

In the stone pavilion in the backyard of Zilan Mansion, Zilan and Pan Hong were sitting opposite each other. Compared to two years ago, they had much more gray hair on their heads.

The wrinkles on their faces have also become deeper. In the past two years, the two of them have really worked hard to run Dai County. They often went to various counties and villages to inspect and supervise, which also made the two of them originally delicate. His skin was stained with the color of dust.

On the stone bench in front of them, there was a plate of edamame and a pot of wine. The two of them were drinking from the edamame. Judging from the appearance of the two of them, they were still enjoying themselves.

"Mr. Pan, these beans that you and I grew by our own hands, taste really special!" Zilan said with a smile while chewing the beans.

Pan Hong also had a smile on his face, looking at the snow-covered areas in the yard, and sighed: "It's a pity that all the precious flowers, plants and trees in the yard have been shoveled away. But we can no longer see any of them. The purples are so beautiful, even with the heavy snow in the sky, you can drink wine and admire the plum blossoms, but now, the two of us can only drink to the snow."

Zi Lan burst out laughing, "Although the flowers and plants are good, they can't keep you full. When the snow melts next spring, let's plant some fruits and vegetables in this yard, bring a pot of wine, and pick whatever we want to eat." What, wouldn’t it be more beautiful?”

"Your Excellency is leisurely and elegant, and your subordinates should accompany you accordingly."

"What is leisure and elegance?" Zilan sighed, "Although Daijun has passed the most difficult point, tigers and wolves are watching from the side. There are traitors inside who are unwilling to let go. I want to protect myself. It’s hard, it has to be like this!”

The smile on Pan Hong's face gradually faded away. The life he had spent in the past two years was really not worth mentioning to outsiders. As noble as Zilan, he also shoveled away the flowers, plants and trees in the yard and planted food crops. Zilan The wife and daughter also rolled up their sleeves and were spinning and weaving in the mansion. The two young masters' originally delicate hands were now covered with thick calluses.

"The domestic situation has gradually stabilized. General Zhao has regained five cities, forming a new strategic advantage over the Yan State. Next, he can finally devote all his energy to defending against the Qin State." Pan Hong said: " But this is not good news for us."

"Yes, after retrieving the five cities, Zhao Mu's eyes moved westward, and the Qin people immediately responded. A few days ago, news came from the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry that Shannan County had increased its troops by three thousand. As a result, the Qin people were Shannan County already has five thousand soldiers and horses, and can bring troops at any time. With the current military strength of the county, it is really difficult for me to resist." Zi Lan said with a bitter look on her face, "I asked King Zhao to send a regular army. Assist our army in defense, but when the memorial comes up, it is like a stone sinking into the sea, so there is no need to count on it."

"It's better to ask General Zhao Mu!"

"We can't count on him anymore. He finally took the position of Taiwei, but he was constrained by Zhao Qi. There is no way he would risk angering Zhao Wuji and send troops to us. You know, Zhao Wuji himself is very good. I am afraid of the good personal relationship between me and Zhao Mu." Zi Lan shook her head.

"The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry fell into the hands of Zhao Qi. I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to get news from there in the future. Our internal manpower has been gradually purged a lot over the past year, and there is almost no one at the top. If some of the men in Zhongwu are lost next, the entire army will be almost wiped out." Pan Hong sighed, "Master Sheriff, we must fight back, otherwise we will become more and more passive."

"Counterattack? How to counterattack? If I conflict with Zhao Wuji, the people of Qin will be happy. All I want now is to protect myself. As long as Zhao Wuji doesn't go too far, I won't challenge him." Zi Lan shook his head. , "Stop talking about this, Mr. Pan, what do you think of Zhou Yu and Tan Feng, and King Yan Ji Ling."

Picking up an edamame and chewing it slowly in his mouth, Pan Hong pondered for a moment, "Ji Ling, I really underestimated him at the beginning. After four years on the throne, he slowly showed his fangs. He reminded me of Another person, the Sheriff, guess who it is?"

"I don't want to guess riddles!" Zilan shook her head.

"King Wulie of Qin!" Pan Hong smiled, "What Ji Ling is doing now is exactly what King Wulie of Qin did back then. He used various means to cut off the nobles' fiefdoms, nationalize these places, and establish centralized counties. The county system will be established, and then the whole country will be mobilized to strengthen the country and build an army."

"He can't do it!" Zilan laughed, "He does have this ambition, and he has found two good helpers. Zhou Yu and Tan Feng are indeed dragons among men. Their planning is deep and their layout is far-reaching. People are amazed that even a figure like Ning Zecheng fell headlong into it without realizing it. However, the Yan State's 100,000 conventional army was defeated in Donghu, and there was an uncertain factor like Gao Yuan. The Yan State was not like the Qin State back then. Painting a tiger is not like a dog, that’s inevitable.”

"Yes, they thought too simply. Li Ru had been operating in the Qin State for decades, and his teachings had become extremely powerful in the Qin State, and King Wulie of Qin's position was also extremely stable. With the support of Li Xin, Ying Teng and other generals, they were able to wipe out the nobles who dared to resist. It took nearly twenty years. The Yan Kingdom wanted to complete this in just a few years. The process is nothing more than a fool’s dream.”

"Speaking of Li Ru, I think of the counselor Jiang Jiaquan next to Gao Yuan. No one would have thought that this person is actually Li Ru's junior brother. He has been anonymous for decades, and now he has taken refuge with Gao Yuan. It seems that Gao Yuan is really a person who makes people feel good. An impressive guy." Zi Lan took a sip of wine and said, "Mr. Pan, are you familiar with this Jiang family Quan?"

"We met when we were young. He was also a high-spirited man at that time. However, although he came from the same school as Master Li Ru, the two had great differences in their doctrines. Later, Li Ru's fame became so great that the Jiang family no longer had power. He died, and now he is back on the mountain, it seems that he still thinks of his senior brother being able to compete even higher!"

"Li Ru chose King Wulie of Qin back then, and now Jiang Jiaquan has chosen Gao Yuan." Jiang Jiaquan said thoughtfully.

"Gao Yuan really cannot be judged by common sense. Afterwards, I carefully considered the battle launched by the Yan people to conquer Donghu. I couldn't find a reason for Gao Yuan to escape and return, but he came back. Not only did he come back, but he also taught Zhou Yutanfeng a lesson. Hey, Jishi City, he kept it a secret so tightly that Feng Fayong didn’t even get any news." Pan Hong sighed, "This person is far-sighted in his actions, which makes people scared. Short In just a few years, from having nothing to being famous all over the world, it is no wonder that Jiang Jiaquan is tempted to come out again for such a person. This person has now taken control of Liaoxi County, and Hejian County will soon fall into his hands. In his hands, what’s even more worrying is that he has formed a huge force on the grassland, and the Huns are very convinced by him. Lord Sheriff, we must pay attention to this person."

Zilan smiled, "Back then, I just wanted to have a good relationship with him, but now, I can use him as an aid. Maybe, the chances of us working together are far greater than the chances of being enemies!"