Malan Mountain is not very majestic, but it stretches for hundreds of miles from east to west. Malan Mountain City was built at the mouth of the only canyon in Malan Mountain, known as the second dangerous pass in Eastern Xinjiang. The first, of course, is the Shanhaiguan in the north. If you don't go to Malan Mountain, the north-south traffic will be extremely inconvenient. If you go around, it's not just a matter of hundreds of miles, but more than double the hundreds of miles.
The general guarding Malan Mountain is called Cen Shan, and he is only a fifth-rank general in terms of his military position. But because of the important geographical location of Malan Mountain, the post of Malan Mountain Gatekeeper has always been watched by many people. If he can be a fifth-rank general here, if there is no huge family power behind him, Obviously impossible.
The important thing about this Malanshan Pass is that in times of peace, the tax collected here is a huge amount every day. There are too many people coming and going, and each person is charged according to a few silver coins. After a day, it is also a pile of copper coins that looks shocking. Naturally, more taxes will be collected from the caravans passing by, so it is not an exaggeration to say that this place is making a lot of money every day.
but
Since the war in Eastern Xinjiang, how can any caravan dare to run business
The place that used to be the fattest has now become the most important and has become a battleground for military strategists. For the guard general of Malanshan Gate, this is the most depressing and frightening thing for him.
Cen Shan is only because the family is relatively powerful under the Mu family's rule, and the relationship with the Mu family is also very close, so he, a young man from the collateral branch of the family, can be a general in this place. He originally thought that he would retire here in the future, living comfortably every day, not worrying about food and drink, and having a lot of money to earn money, living a beautiful life.
There are so many people coming and going in this place, who knows exactly how many people go every day? Even if he is brave enough to withhold ordinary tax money every day, no one will suddenly appear to check him.
During these days, Cen Shan has been worried.
He was really afraid that an army of foreigners would come to fight one day. With the team of thousands of people in his hand, it was obviously impossible to defend Malanshan Pass. He was afraid that foreigners would not come. He was even more afraid when foreigners really came. So spending every day in such a mood is definitely a torment for him.
Fortunately, General Wei An's team was transferred to the vicinity of Malan Mountain shortly after the war in Eastern Xinjiang. As long as Malan Mountain is under attack, Wei An's team can rush to support in less than a day.
Fortunately, for some reason, General Wei An went to Malanshan Pass in person early in the morning and told Cen Shan that he would take over the defense of Malanshan Pass starting today. It was as if the heavy burden on Cen Shan's shoulders had been lifted, and Cen Shan felt so relaxed from body to mind.
"General, how do you arrange the humble position?"
Cen Shan asked cautiously.
He wanted to know where he would be transferred after he no longer needed to guard Malanshan Pass. It is best to be far away from the battlefield. Anyway, he feels that he will not be reused.
"you?"
Wei An glanced at him, and then snorted coldly: "Of course you should stay here. This general takes over Malanshan Pass, but it doesn't mean you can leave. On the contrary, you have to bring your people with you every day." I am on duty here, and I have to go back to the big camp. I said I will take over, but I am just telling you that this place is no longer up to you.”
Cen Shan wished he could fuck Wei An's old lady ten thousand times in his heart.
"But the general... According to rumors, the foreigner's team called Hyacinth is less than a hundred miles away from Malanshan Pass. There are only a thousand people under the humble staff, and most of them are old, weak, sick and disabled... Is the general Can you send some elite soldiers over here?"
"No."
Wei An shook his head: "I won't give you a single soldier, because the Black Banner Army will soon have soldiers and horses coming. If you want soldiers, go with them."
Although Cen Shan is not an extremely intelligent person, he still quickly grasped the key points from Wei An's words.
People from the Black Banner Army are coming!
Cen Shan's mind was spinning rapidly. As a collateral child, he was selected by the family to come to this place to be a general. Naturally, it was not because he was stupid enough, but because he was considered outstanding among the young children of the family. . And as long as one is not stupid, it is not difficult to deduce something from Wei An's words.
The Black Banner Army was about to come, but Wei An came to take over but did not send troops.
Cen Shan's first reaction was that Wei An was definitely not strictly implementing the military order of the Mu Mansion. The military order of the Mu Mansion must have ordered Wei An to send troops to take over Malanshan Pass. Why did he not send troops? Because the Black Banner Army is coming... Then Wei An said, if you want soldiers, go with the Black Banner Army.
The meaning of this sentence is too much and too important.
What Cen Shan immediately thought of was that the Mu Mansion and the Black Banner Army should have reached an agreement. The defense of Malanshan Pass was handed over to the Black Banner Army and Wei An. There are a lot of people, so Wei An will not send his elite soldiers to replace him... So...
A layer of cold sweat immediately broke out on Cen Shan's back.
Therefore, I may have to face a big risk that is almost certain to die!
"General... please go inside and talk, it's very windy here."
Cen Shan smiled humbly, leaned forward slightly and made a gesture of invitation.
Wei An ignored him and went straight into the room.
After entering the door, without any hesitation, Cen Shan fell to his knees with a plop: "General, save me, please allow me to leave this place, I have been here for many years, and I have accumulated a lot of wealth... If the general does not give up, I am willing to dedicate all these wealth to you."
"You moth!"
After hearing this, Wei An was furious: "As the guard of Malan Mountain, you dare to enrich your own pocket! Believe it or not, I'm going to have you hacked out and beheaded right now!"
"The general calms down, the general calms down."
Cen Shan knelt and climbed over and begged for mercy: "General, I have never had a feud with you, and I have always respected you for the past few years... General, I still have some rare jade objects in my house. If you like them, I will You can give it all."
Seeing that Wei An didn't speak, Cen Shan quickly turned around and ordered his hands to carry the gold and silver.
Not long after, all the gold and silver he had plundered over the years were brought out, and there were five large boxes full of them, not copper coins, but real silver ingots. One of the small boxes was actually full of gold bricks. Even Wei An, who is a great general, couldn't help rolling his eyes when he saw this wealth.
"You have wasted so much money!"
Wei An said loudly: "Come here, bring them all back to the camp to confiscate them for military pay! As for you..."
Wei An kicked Cen Shan away: "You just stay here and guard the Malanshan Pass. It is kind of me not to kill you."
He snorted coldly, turned and left.
Cen Shan looked at Wei An's leaving back, his face gradually distorted.
…
…
In the afternoon, Cen Shan, who seemed to have been robbed of most of his life, curled up on a chair, basking in the sunlight coming in through the window, but he still felt cold. Wei An's face made him feel disgusted and angry even now. The money was his life savings, but it couldn't buy him a way out. Moreover, he firmly believed that Wei An would never treat the money as military pay, and would put it in his own pocket.
"brute!"
The more Cen Shan thought about it, the more excited he became, he couldn't help scolding.
The soldier standing next to him had the same ugly expression as him. He thought that when Bie Jiang bought his way of life, his way of life would also come. Who would have thought that even if the money was gone, his way of life would not come. But what about people like them? Wei An has a heavy army in his hands, even if they want to fight hard, they don't have the qualifications.
"Can't wait to die!"
Cen Shan stood up suddenly, and his face gradually became ferocious: "The current Dongjiang is no longer the Dongjiang where the Mu Mansion overshadows the sky with one hand. If Wei An bullied me like this before, I would not dare to resist, and I would not even dare to escape. Because He is very powerful, and the Mu Mansion will not make decisions for me. But now, even if I escape from the Mu Mansion, what will happen? Maybe it won't be long before the Mu Mansion is finished!"
He bit his lips: "You guys, hurry back and pack up my things, take away the valuable ones and don't want anything else, let's go tonight!"
"But the general..."
The guard team couldn't help worrying: "Where can we escape? To the south, we have to pass through Wei'an's defense zone. We will definitely not be able to get through. The roads and trails are all blocked by his soldiers and horses. Fleeing to the north? Let's escape." If you want to go through the canyon, you will meet the Black Banner Army as soon as you go out... Didn’t the people from the north say that the northern side of the canyon has been occupied by the Black Banner Army?”
"Only north."
Cen Shan thought for a while and said, "I'd rather go to the Black Banner Army than go back to the Mu Mansion. Besides, only you and I know that path, so let's take the path and leave."
"That's the only way to go."
The personal soldiers sighed, and hurriedly took people out to clean up.
At this moment, a soldier came in hurriedly from outside: "General, there are a few people outside who say they are old friends of the general and want to see them. Seeing that those people are extraordinary, they are obviously not ordinary people. Do not meet?"
Cen Shan thought to himself that he had been serving as a general at Malanshan Pass, and he hadn't left all these years, where did this old friend come from? At this moment, everyone who can escape has escaped, who will take the risk to come back to see him? But there was a voice in Cen Shan's heart that kept reminding him that if he didn't see these people, he might regret it.
"Please come in!"
Cen Shan gave an order.
Not long after, a few men in ordinary clothes came in. Although the clothes were shabby, Cen Shan could tell at a glance that these people were definitely from the military. These people were all armed with weapons, and their bodies were straight. Especially the young man in the front who looked to be in his twenties, with an aura that made Cen Shan uneasy.
Only those who are superior have such power.
"you are?"
Cen Shan asked cautiously.
"General Cen, don't worry. Since we met, I won't beat around the bush. I'll just explain why I'm here. But before I say anything, I must tell you the importance of choice. If you are willing to help me, you can not only help me on this occasion If you don't die in the battle, you might be able to get a big chance. If you don't help me, I'm afraid the general won't be able to escape even if he wants to, right?"
The young man sat down on the chair without the slightest restraint.
"My name is Chen Dingnan, one of King Wu's generals."
When Cen Shan heard this name, his nerves tensed immediately!
He has naturally heard of this name. It is said that Nalan Dingdong, the general of the Black Banner Army in Phoenix Terrace, led his army to rob the granary a while ago, and Wei An sent troops to chase after him. The tens of thousands of horses sent by An were defeated.
Wei An would not allow people to spread these things, but how could it be possible to hide them from others
"So it's General Chen."
Cen Shan quickly leaned over and saluted: "I don't know if the general is here, what advice do you have?"
"Wei An came here not long ago, right?"
Chen Dingnan poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip and asked with a smile: "If nothing unexpected happens, he must have asked you to guard the Malanshan pass?"
Cen Shan's face changed, and he smiled sarcastically, but didn't dare to answer.
"If you help me, I can let you live."
Chen Dingnan said slowly: "The day after tomorrow, my brigade will come here to take over Malanshan Pass. I'm afraid that before the day after tomorrow, the foreign army will attack. And once the war starts, Wei An will immediately block the road to the south , Mu Guangling will personally lead the troops to seal the road to the north... The Mu family wants to suffocate my men and horses at Malanshan Pass, and you are just a funeral object. However, it is not that there is no chance to stand up."
Cen Shan's expression kept changing. After hesitating for a long time, he stomped his feet heavily: "General, if you need anything, just give me orders!"