Chapter 127 Seeds of Suspicion
In the afternoon, Zheng Ling Li Xi arrived in Xinfeng on a dusty mule.

There were few mules and horses, so most of the official oxen and horses in Zheng County were used to transport grain and fodder.

Li Xi did not dare to delay after receiving the order from the Black Bear Army. He borrowed a mule from the people and rode there alone. The mule also carried the official records of Zheng County.

He came to the city wall panting with a bag of bamboo slips in his arms. The sweat oozing from his forehead was covered with dust, making him look dirty and a little pitiful.

Seeing Black Bear signing a military document, Li Xi took a deep breath to calm himself.

The personal soldier who led the way saw the military document being carried away, and then he stepped forward to report: "General, Zheng Ling Li Xi is here."

"Prepare a pot of tea and send two plates of wheat cakes."

Black Bear was a little hungry, so he signaled his guards to get busy. Li Xi came forward holding the bamboo bag and said, "I, Zheng Ling Li Xi, greet General Huya."

The bag of bamboo slips was brought to Black Bear by another personal soldier. Black Bear untied the bag, took out the bamboo slips inside, and placed them on the table in front of him. There were thirteen volumes in total.

There are probably only about 6,000 to 7,000 words in total, so it only contains statistical data on population, farmland, and specialty products of each township in Zheng County.

Black Bear picked out the first volume and saw that there were more than 5,300 registered households in Zheng County. Most of the people who had experienced the great escape from Guanzhong and returned were young and strong, with few elderly people, and most of their children were born in recent years.

Closing the bamboo slips, now is not the time to check the hidden households, this is the main focus of work in winter.

Black Bear then looked at Li Xi. Except for the Yin of Henan, the county magistrates, county lieutenants and county chancellors of other counties in Sizhou were all handled by Zhong Yao.

So this Zheng Ling, who looks to be in his thirties, is Zhong Yao's former official.

What a huge network of connections!
Zhong Yao has been managing Guanzhong for so many years, and these county-level officials, as well as their former officials, can all be considered Zhong Yao's followers.

It was only because Zhong Hui was born late. If he had been born thirty years earlier, it would have been enough to give the Sima brothers a headache.

"Yesterday, the Sili Commander issued an order, ordering all the counties in Jingzhao to be under the control of our Tiger Teeth Army. Do you have any doubts?"

"General, I obey your orders."

Li Xi said tentatively: "If the Yuan family invades Guanzhong, the people will suffer. I am from Longxi, so I should die with them."

"I trust you temporarily. You are Zhong Yao's man. With a powerful enemy at hand, we can still trust each other. After defeating Yuan Tan's offensive, I will discuss with Zhong Yao whether to fight or make peace. At that time, I will not restrict you from staying or leaving."

"Yes."

Li Xi blinked and said cautiously: "General, once Yuan Tan is driven out, Ma Teng and Han Sui's troops will arrive in Fufeng and Fengyi. These two have been fighting in Xizhou for more than 30 years. If they join forces, the general will be in danger."

"They have been fighting for their whole lives. I am not afraid of them coming together, but I am afraid of them coming in turns."

Black Bear smiled and said, "Just focus on your work. Right now, we don't know each other's true colors. After a while, you'll naturally know what my temper is like."

Seeing Li Xi accept the offer, Black Bear said, "I arrested many officials from Duling last night. Go and visit them. Also, call Du Ji. I want to invite him for tea."

"Here."

Li Xi bowed again and felt the personal guard on duty approaching him, so he bowed deeply to the black bear, took a few steps back and left with the personal guard.

Soon, under the guidance of his personal soldiers, Li Xi met the officials who were under house arrest.

In particular, Zhang Ji, the Xinfeng prefect who ranked first among the three prefectures in the examination, wrapped a cloth on his head, sat depressedly in the corner with his head raised up to bask in the sun. The officials in Xinfeng were all like this, looking distraught.

The officials in Duling had numb legs and feet from walking. Some of the unlucky officials lacked exercise and now had varicose veins in their calves and could not move.

Seeing that Zhang Ji was unable to communicate at the moment, Li Xi could only ask Du Lingling.

After learning about last night's arduous march, he was even more shocked by the fact that General Hu Ya's personal soldiers walked from Xinfeng during the day and escorted this group of officials back at night.

I didn't rest during my stay in Duling.

No complaints during the whole process, it was just horrible.

Du Lingling did not explain clearly. Yesterday, the personal soldiers came and went on foot with light equipment, and most of the armor and equipment were loaded on the carts.

What happened to the officials in Duling was a warning to Li Xi.

While asking, Li Xi also found the former Gongcao Du Ji who was basking in the sun and conveyed the black bear's message.

County magistrates such as Li Xi generally had a bad relationship with Gongcao Du Ji.

The subjects of the Gongcao examination included county magistrates, county lieutenants, and county magistrates, such as Li Xi. Officials below the county level were not under the jurisdiction of the county Gongcao, but of the county Gongcao.

Zhang Ji's first place in the Three Auxiliary Examination was the result of Du Ji's assessment and recommendation, and the final review by Gongcao of the Sili Xiaowei Office.

This time Du Ji finally had his fill, but he felt a little embarrassed when he saw the black bear.

He thought Black Bear would bring several carts of bloody heads for him to admire. Fortunately, Zhong Yao on the north bank reacted quickly and issued an official document to transfer the governance rights of the counties.

Otherwise, if a real fight broke out, Du Lingling would either abandon the city and flee, or die defending the city.

If a fight breaks out, dozens of people will die.

After Du Ji sat down, Hei Xiong picked up the black pottery teapot and poured tea for both of them. He rinsed the black pottery tea bowls before pouring tea again.

This refreshing way of drinking tea seemed a bit bland to Du Ji.

During his exile in Jingzhou, he drank a kind of strong tea that was brewed repeatedly. It was difficult for him to get used to it at first, but then he felt boundlessly excited, and the taste remained unforgettable for a long time.

Black Bear took the tea and sniffed the fragrance before saying, "This is a gift from Liu Biao's wife, Cai. It is said to be Junshan tea from Dongting Lake. It is new tea this year."

Du Ji held the tea in his hands and sniffed it, then took a sip and savored it carefully: "It is indeed extraordinary. I have never tasted such a rich tea fragrance since returning to Guanzhong."

Seeing this, Black Bear smiled and said, "I was too impatient yesterday. I really don't want to live a life of displacement anymore."

"I can feel the general's determination to defend Guanzhong."

Du Ji took another sip of tea and sat up straight. "What I am worried about is not Ma Teng and Han Sui, they are just two old dogs. Ma Chao is a man of great ambition, like Sun Ce in the past, he is not inferior to the general, he is not someone who will be inferior to others for long."

Seeing that Black Bear was listening attentively, Du Ji pointed to the north bank and said, "I heard your plan yesterday. You want to lead the army to guard Tongguan, and let Ma Teng, Han Sui and Ma Chao guard the crossing in Weibei. What I am worried about is that Ma Chao will be lured by Yuan and do what Lu Bu did."

There are not many ferry crossings on the Yellow River north of the Weishui River. Some of them have been abandoned in recent years and the river is turbulent, making it unsuitable for a large army to cross the river.

Therefore, they only needed to be on guard. The risk of forcibly crossing the river and landing was too great. However, if Ma Chao was colluding with the bandits, then the Hebei troops could successfully cross the river and attack the black bear in Tongguan.

Seeing Black Bear in deep thought, Du Ji said, "It is precisely because of these concerns that I dare not cooperate with the general. I want to keep my innocent body to deal with the Yuan family and protect my hometown."

Zhang Shi from Hedong died at the hands of Black Bear. Du Ji, Zhang Shi's friend and former official, had ample room to deal with Yuan.

"Ma Chao..."

Black Bear muttered to himself. When he went to Duling yesterday, he met Ma Chao who was sent by Zhong Yao. He felt that he had no use for this guy and was worried that this guy would do something in the dark, so he persuaded him to go back to the north bank.

Perhaps Zhong Yao was also worried that Ma Chao was colluding with the enemy, so he wanted to send Ma Chao to his place yesterday to prevent outsiders from contacting Ma Chao?

Now it is difficult for Zhong Yao to distinguish between insiders and outsiders.

It is hard to say whether there are scholars around you who are inclined towards Hebei.

With Sun Ce as a good example, local officials would instinctively guard against a second Sun Ce.

After thinking for a while, Black Bear said to Du Ji, "I will keep an eye on this person. I won't force you today. When the situation becomes clear, I will invite you to discuss it again."

"Thank you for your understanding, General."

Du Ji bowed and greeted him. Black Bear just shook his head, chuckled, and turned his head to look at his personal soldiers. Two personal soldiers approached, and Du Ji drank the tea in the ceramic bowl, then slowly stood up and said goodbye.

After Du Ji left, Black Bear poured some tea into the black pottery bowl that Du Ji had used, rinsed it, then turned over the other four tea bowls and poured tea into them.

He invited a dozen or so personal soldiers on duty nearby to come and eat wheat cakes. These personal soldiers squatted around, with five tea bowls passing around in their hands.

A personal soldier chewed a wheat cake and said, "General Qu, why is this man so hard to invite? If he is so useful, why doesn't he show his magic?"

"His role can be big or small. Previously, I wanted to ask him to come forward to integrate the people of Jingzhao. Now that we have the official document issued by Zhong Yao, we don't need Du Ji at the moment."

Black Bear looked down at his right hand and a peach appeared in his hand. He squeezed it and it turned into a card and disappeared. He said to the soldiers, "If he really sees this magic, the people of Jingzhao will bow down to me and call me their leader. What will you do then?"

Most of the guards didn't understand. One alert guard turned pale and asked, "Are you worried that they will usurp power?"

"Yes, without you, everyone around me will be from Jingzhao. Maybe the cats and dogs I raise in the future will also be from Jingzhao. I'm afraid I won't be able to hear a single word of truth."

The black bear was also a little helpless, because the most difficult thing to control is the human heart.

I don't seek to control everyone's mental changes, but I must ensure my own safety.

For now, the semi-literate veteran is more credible.

Especially the Qingzhou soldiers, who are now training hard every day, and their team spirit has changed so much that even he can't understand it.

Gradually, the soldiers around came to their senses and were filled with fear.

They had a great disadvantage: they could not match the scholars from other places in terms of numbers or cultural literacy.

But he happened to be Marshal Qu's closest guard, how could he not be hated?

At this moment, at the military camp on the north bank of the Wei River.

Zhong Yao has already set off to another military camp to take over military power.

Yesterday, Ma Chao was sent back by Black Bear after he arrived at the south bank. He came back quickly enough.

But during the hour that he was away, Zhong Yao personally completed the reorganization of 3,000 infantry and cavalry, and readjusted the organization and officers.

The new military officers naturally supported Zhong Yao's decision.

In just one hour, Ma Chao, the commander-in-chief of three thousand infantry and cavalry, was left with only a hundred or so of his personal knights.

Most of these personal knights were temporary members and were not Ma Chao's subordinates. At most, they had a good personal relationship with Ma Chao before enlisting.

Now that Ma Chao's command has been taken away, there is no need to have such a luxurious team of personal soldiers.

Should they disband on their own or wait for Zhong Yao's decision?

If it were not disbanded, the personal guard team would be equipped with nearly 200 horses, which would be beyond Ma Chao's ability to support.

As long as Zhong Yao temporarily stopped allocating horse feed, these more than a hundred personal cavalry would immediately collapse, and even the little prestige that Ma Chao had accumulated would be lost.

But I can disband on my own initiative... What if I misinterpreted Zhong Yao's hint?

Could it be that my father and I are really of no use?

When Ma Chao was in doubt, an official left behind by Zhong Yao came to see him.

The two of them were walking under the willow trees on the north bank of the Wei River. The Cao official named Zhao Huan took out a scroll of silk and said, "This is what you left behind."

Ma Chao did not think it was strange. He opened it and saw a letter with more than a hundred words on it. The signature seal was not that of the Palace Attendant or the Inspector General of the Imperial Guards, but that of the Governor of Hedong County.

This is a letter written by Cui Yan, the new governor of Hedong County, specifically to Ma Chao.

Ma Chao looked at Zhao Huan, a fellow Tianshui man, in surprise. Zhao Huan smiled subtly, "This silk book has been in my hands for three days. Now that Zhong Sili has united with the Tiger Tooth Army, Brother Meng Qi is particularly important. I think there will be a new secret letter soon."

Yuan Tan offered a huge gamble by giving Ma Teng the title of General of the Western Expedition, the chief minister, and the governor of Yongzhou, while Ma Chao was the General of Crossing Liao, the governor of Xihe County, and the Marquis of Meiyang.

Ma Chao was confused and asked: "You are from Liangzhou, why are you like this?"

"I just want to be rich and noble."

Zhao Huan said calmly, "I'm not like Meng Qi. The only thing I can sell is my life. If I'm willing to sell my life, let alone my face."

Ma Chao frowned, suspecting that this was Zhong Yao's evil plot.

After hesitating for a long time, he said: "My family has been nobles for generations. Although we are in a state of decline now, we cannot turn against our enemies in the battlefield."

As he spoke, he folded the silk book and stuffed it into Zhao Huan's hands: "You and I have a barely comradeship as fellow countrymen. Please don't make it difficult for me. This matter ends here."

(End of this chapter)