Volume 1 Chapter 40: Buying and Selling (Part 2)
In those days, the Jin people were cunning and simple, and barbaric and honest... This was not strange, but a natural external characteristic of the process of a primitive tribal alliance quickly establishing a huge empire.
When this group of people were hunting in the deep mountains and forests decades ago, most of the lower classes had no idea what was public and what was private? What was civilized and what was barbaric? They had no such concept at all! It was only when they pounced hard with the instinct of wild animals in desperate situations that they started this fifteen or sixteen years of time in which they were absolutely the protagonists.
Zhao Jiu always called them beasts, which probably meant this... This was not a derogatory statement, but a brilliant summary by a time traveler looking down from a high position. The Song people, and even the Liao people, did not realize what they were facing, and used their previous thinking to deal with the beasts of the law of the jungle, which led to their current fate.
Of course, from the third year of Tianqing when Wanyan Aguda started to the second year of Jianyan, it has been fifteen years, and the Jin people are also rapidly being influenced by Liao and Song civilizations, which is why they have become what they are now. And in the past fifteen years, there have always been sensitive people who have gradually noticed the internal logic of the Jin people's actions... Although they may not be able to explain it so thoroughly, because not everyone has the ability to write books like Lu Haowen, but they can keep one mind.
Under the dazzling sunlight, in the backyard of Zhang Jun's residence, which might be the most luxurious mansion in the city, General Zhang, who was fully dressed, personally picked up an exquisite gold twisted silk hairpin headband from the box. However, he saw faint blood stains in the gaps of the hairpin. He was stunned for a moment and remained silent for a long time.
"Why is Zhang doing this?" Zhao Qiu laughed. "You are not forcing me to pay for the gold and silver. I am sending you these good things as gold goods just to collect enough gold... You are taking advantage of me!"
"It's not just that." The magistrate who had just been promoted to join the army, who was said to be called Shi Wenbin, quickly spoke up. "General Zhang, please look at these two boxes... These are the treasures that the Fourth Prince gave you. They are all first-class antiques and even have documents recording their origins. I looked at them carefully and found that they should be the treasures accumulated by Zhao Mingcheng, the magistrate of Zibo Prefecture, and his wife. They had to abandon the whole car on the way, but it was a bargain for General Zhang!"
Zhang Jun turned around and looked at the two boxes behind him. As expected, he saw a detailed booklet that explained the origins of various bronze and stone artifacts, calligraphy and paintings, and had the signatures of Zhao Mingcheng and his world-famous wife, Yi An. There was no need to explain the reputation of this couple, and General Zhang finally sighed:
"Thank you for your hard work, and thank you for your concern for the Fourth Prince! I will now gather all the military officers in the city and explain to you in person the matter of opening the city tomorrow!"
The two were naturally overjoyed, but as soon as these words were spoken, a person sitting on the steps next to them looked up and sighed... This person was none other than the former Palace Attendant Censor, who couldn't even find a new official uniform and was still wearing a green robe, and was now the governor of Shouzhou, Zhao Ding, Zhao Yuanzhen.
When several people heard this sigh, Zhang Jun had not yet spoken, but Shi Wenbin was very sad and could not help but stepped forward to persuade him through two soldiers. However, Zhao Ding had already lost hope and was unwilling to pay any attention to him.
When Zhao Qiu saw this, he was moved, so he pulled Zhang Jun aside and asked in a low voice, "How are you going to deal with this guy, Lao Zhang?"
"Let's part ways amicably. We'll send him across the river tomorrow on a boat." Zhang Jun answered calmly, but then he raised his sword and frowned and asked back, "What does Old Zhao mean?"
"Why not just kill him when we summon the generals today?" Zhao Qiu advised. "This way, I can take my brother out today and give him an explanation!"
Zhang Jun was stunned for a moment, then looked back at Shi Wenbin and Zhao Ding, then at Zhao Qiu in front of him, and then nodded in sudden realization: "Since this is what Old Zhao wants, let's see blood today!"
Zhao Qiu was overjoyed, but Shi Wenbin and Zhao Ding still knew nothing.
Just like that, let's not talk about what the two Han civil and military officials were thinking. Since Zhang Jun had agreed, he did not hesitate any more. He first asked his trusted general Tian Shizhong to summon all the officers of 100 men and above except the guards on the city walls to meet in the courtyard in front of his house. He also asked another trusted general Liu Bao to go up to the city in person and hold the guards on the city walls to prevent a surprise attack by the Jin army. Then he urged the cooks and maids to prepare for the banquet!
After working for half a day, when everything was ready and the hustle and bustle of the front yard could be clearly heard, Zhang Jun personally ordered hundreds of personal guards to put on armor and hold weapons and stand on all four sides of the front yard. Finally, he took the people from the back yard to the front yard together.
The soldiers in the front yard were in a state of commotion and non-stop discussion. When they saw Zhang Jun's personal guards guarding the gate and arresting the prisoners, some were happy or worried, but the vast majority were just relieved and sighed... Obviously, the envoys had been coming and going constantly in the past few days, and they were in such a posture today, so everyone had already guessed it.
However, firstly, Zhang Jun's troops had always obeyed General Zhang; secondly, the local civilians and the defeated soldiers from Jingdong were in disarray; thirdly, Zhao Ding had been controlled early on; and fourthly, the situation was indeed difficult, with Xiacai being an isolated city, and many people were resentful... Therefore, many people were willing to let it go.
Back in front of us, Zhang Jun came out in full armor. After all, he was a well-trained general. He just sat down in the main seat without saying a word. The courtyard gradually became quiet, and then everyone sat down in the courtyard according to their official rank, seniority, and closeness.
After a while, maids and waiters came in like butterflies, serving wine and food. Commandant Zhang still didn't say anything. He just started to eat the duck after Tian Shizhong personally served him a plate of steaming hot steamed duck. This made everyone else unable to hold back.
"Kill me if you want, I will never surrender!" Zhao Ding, who was assigned to a table next to Zhang Jun, was the first to lose his patience and started to curse. "Don't think everyone is as shameless as you, Zhang Jun! The emperor is really blind, he even crossed the river to see you on New Year's Eve!"
After cursing, Zhao Yuanzhen wanted to continue his impassioned speech, but he was overwhelmed with grief and burst into tears. He could not even speak. I wonder if he was thinking of his wife and children who were still settled in Huainan.
Zhang Jun turned his head to look at the other party, and then glanced at the hundreds of officers in the courtyard who were silent. Then he slowly spoke: "You are all sensible people. Let me ask you, if I, Zhang Jun, surrender today, how many people would be as unhappy as Zhao Zhizhou?"
Zhao Qiu and Shi Wenbin, who were sitting on the left, both breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's not that I don't like it." Someone at the table dared to interrupt. "I just heard what the prefect said, and I want to ask the commander, why did the emperor personally cross the river to see you on New Year's Eve? I was guarding the south water gate watchtower on New Year's Eve, and I saw Yang Dalang coming..."
"It's nothing. It was the time you encountered, Li Laosan. The emperor asked Yang Dalang to lead me over from the other side. He spoke to me for a few words and brought me Liu Guangshi's head. He encouraged me to defend the city and then left..." Zhang Jun said bluntly.
Upon hearing this, not only did the courtyard become bustling with activity, but even Shi Wenbin and Zhao Qiu looked at each other in shock.
After a long while, when Zhang Jun finished eating a duck leg, the noise gradually died down. Then the man from the corner spoke loudly again: "If that's the case, I have a question!"
"Tell me!" Zhang Jun threw away the duck leg bone, his hands covered in grease, and stopped there.
"If Emperor Zhao had come in person that night, wouldn't the bird message shot by the Jin people be all fake?"
“It’s natural.”
"Where is the head of that thief Liu Guangshi?"
Zhang Jun did not answer, but turned his head and gestured to Tian Shizhong behind him. Tian Shizhong did not say anything either, but picked up a food box from under his feet and walked to the middle of the yard and dumped it on the ground. Sure enough, a lifelike head fell to the ground along with the ice. Tian Shizhong picked it up and threw it directly to the nearest officer. The officer looked at it in his arms and passed it to the person beside him.
The noise started again, then gradually died down, and then Li Laosan started chattering again:
"So, if you surrender to the Jin people and offer the city today, aren't you selling the government on the other side of the river directly to the Jin people?"
"Not really. The officials will naturally leave when they see what's happening in the city." Zhang Jun said indifferently. "If it really doesn't work, we'll have a deal today and send someone to tell Henan..."
"If that's the case, I have an explanation."
"Tell me about it."
"That night I was leading the way on the shore. I cursed all the way because of that bastard Liu Guangshi, but Lord Zhao didn't say he would chop off my head. I feel bad about surrendering like this. Can you let me deliver the letter? If I go, I won't come back. You, General Zhang, can take your money and I can be your assassin... What do you think?"
Zhao Qiu couldn't help but wink at Zhang Jun, and Zhang Jun sighed helplessly: "If you say so, Third Brother, I really don't want you to leave!"
