Yang Anxuan did not sit in the government office waiting for news and food to arrive. He took Xin He, the chief reporter, and went to the Zhou family in Ancheng County to collect food, escorted by Meng Longfu and Zhang Feng.
Ancheng County is more than 80 miles northwest of Xinxi County. Yang Anxuan passed by it when he went south from Ruyang, but he was in a hurry and did not enter the city.
"Xin Ji Shi, tell me about the Ancheng Zhou family." Yang Anxuan urged his horse to the carriage and said to Xin He in the carriage.
"The founder of the Zhou family, Zhou Ren, was the Marquis of Rufen in the Western Han Dynasty; the ancestor Zhou Fei served as the Shaofu Minister during the Cao Wei Dynasty; his son Zhou Jun was the Censor of the Cao Wei Dynasty, Zhongcheng, and was granted the title of Marquis of Sheyang; the Zhou family followed the southern migration, and some of them have been serving as officials in the court. , Wang Dun rebelled, and Zhou Yi was appointed as Zuopushi." Xin He sat in the carriage, raised the curtains and introduced Yang Anxuan.
It was cold in winter, but Yang Anxuan's head was filled with white air, and he said with a smile: "But that Zhou Boren Zhou Pushe said, 'Although I will not kill Boren, Boren will be killed by me.'"
"Exactly," Xin He responded: "After Zhou Pushe passed away, his son Zhou Min also came to Zuopushe, became the general of the army guard, and was granted the title of Marquis of Wu Lie. Unfortunately, Zhou Min had no heirs and adopted his younger brother Zhou Lin as his successor. Zhou Min Lin is the governor of Dongyang, and the power of the Zhou family in the court is gradually weakening. Zhou Lin's youngest son, Zhou Wen, is now a hussar and is planning to join the army."
The officials of the Hussar Mansion were the cronies of King Kuaiji. Yang Anxuan smiled and remained silent.
After a while, Yang Anxuan asked: "What are the geography, people, and land in Ancheng?"
Xin He was fortunate that when he learned that he was going to Ancheng and Nandun to collect food with Yang Anxuan, he had made preparations in advance, otherwise he would have been questioned.
"There are sixteen townships in Ancheng, with 13,627 households, a population of 54,726, 21,427 males and 20,30 females. Nine people; 6,367 hectares of grain fields, 168 hectares of paddy fields, 236 hectares of mulberry fields, and 4,678 hectares of dry fields."
Yang Anxuan nodded secretly and blurted out this series of numbers, which showed that Xin He was a thoughtful person.
"... County Magistrate Meng He is from Shangcai, Runan, and his ancestor is Meng Gongwei, a friend of Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of the Shu Han Dynasty. Four years ago, Magistrate Meng was promoted as a county magistrate by the Zhou Prefect for his filial piety and integrity."
Yang Anxuan heard Yuan Hong mention this Magistrate Meng with disdain, saying that Magistrate Meng was good at making money but had a bad official reputation.
"The Zhou family is a top-notch family, with countless fields, tribes and tenants." Yang Anxuan asked.
Xin He hesitated and did not answer immediately. The aristocratic family has been repeatedly banned from annexing land and absorbing refugees into hidden households. The court has repeatedly ordered land and registry inspections, but it still cannot be suppressed. The Zhou family is a top-notch family, so these two things are naturally indispensable.
Yang Anxuan looked at Xin He with a half-smile and said, "Is it possible that Xin Ji's office doesn't know about it either?"
Xin He knew that this was Yang Anxuan's test for him, and replied vaguely: "As far as Yu knows, the Zhou family has more than a thousand hectares of land in Ancheng, and there are about four to five hundred people in the tribe and tenant farmers."
Yang Anxuan laughed loudly and said: "Xinji Room, I know you are in trouble, so there is no need to elaborate."
Xin He said with a look of shame on his face: "Thank you, General Yang, for your understanding."
The eighty-mile journey took only an hour on horseback. In order to take care of Xin He who was riding in the car, the group arrived at Ancheng County after noon.
Looking for an inn to rest and eat, he sent someone to the Zhou Mansion to inquire and learned that Zhou Wei, the head of the Zhou family, lived in a manor in the east of the city. At Shenshi, Yang Anxuan and Xin He brought gifts to visit Wubao.
Zhoujiawu Fort is located six miles east of the city. It seems smaller than Peijiawu, but three points larger than the Yin family. Although it is winter, there are still farmers working in the fields, and some people are repairing the canals beside the fields.
More than two miles away from Wubao, Baoding blocked the way of Yang Anxuan and others and asked about their purpose. Yang Anxuan showed his identity and someone led the way to Wubao.
Zhou Wei got the letter and pondered for a moment before going downstairs to greet him.
He knew that Yang Anxuan was the newly appointed county commander and chief secretary, and a favorite of the King of Kuaiji. His nephew Zhou Wen mentioned Yang Anxuan in his letters home. It attracted two schools of martial arts to fight, and he became a disciple of the famous scholar Che Yin. Then he offended the Langya royal family and moved to the East Palace to serve as an attendant. Then he went to Jingkou to take up a post, led troops to rescue Luoyang, etc. It is amazing to hear.
Such a person came to visit him as soon as he got off the bus. It seemed that Yang Anxuan still respected the Zhou family very much.
When they arrived at Wumen, Yang Anxuan and others arrived. The two parties met and Zhou Wei led Yang Anxuan and others to the meeting hall of Wulou.
The dock building is circular in shape, with three floors, each floor about three feet high, surrounding a square with a radius of about 100 meters. The square is busy with men, women, old and young, and it is very prosperous. Compared with Yinjiabao, it is five points larger.
Without taking a closer look, he went to the meeting hall on the third floor and sat down, where a servant offered tea.
After a brief exchange of greetings, Zhou Wei said with a smile: "Yu also said that he would find an opportunity to go to Xinxi City and pay a visit to Master Yang. Unexpectedly, Master Yang actually came to Humble House. It is really brilliant."
Of course, Yang Anxuan would not directly say that I came to borrow food from you, and responded with a smile: "The Ancheng Zhou family is where the commander of Runan County is located. I am just here at the beginning of my life, how could I not come to visit."
Zhou Wei stroked his beard and smiled so proudly that his eyes narrowed.
Xin He knew that it was inconvenient for Yang Anxuan to speak, so he smiled and said: "Duke Zhou, in addition to paying homage to you, Master Yang also has something to ask for your help."
Hearing Xin He talk about raising food, Zhou Wei's face immediately fell. Yang Anxuan saw Zhou Wei's expression and knew that this trip was not good.
Sure enough, when Xin He finished speaking, Zhou Wei said with a cold face: "Master Yang, it's not that Zhou is unwilling to help. This year, the Zhou family has been severely affected by the disaster, and the harvest has been reduced by 30%. After paying taxes and grain, there is really no money left. A few days ago The magistrate of Meng County came to raise food, and Zhou has already promised to donate 300 shi of food. If he wants to donate more food, I am afraid that more than a thousand people in the clan will starve."
Xin He glanced at Yang Anxuan awkwardly, and was secretly annoyed. He didn't expect Zhou Wei to be so disrespectful. What would happen if he agreed to three to five hundred dan with the Zhou family's family fortune?
Zhou Wei, however, thought that he could not let Yang Anxuan feel that he was weak and could be bullied, otherwise he would be like Magistrate Meng who came to ask for help from time to time and it would be difficult to deal with it.
As for Yang Anxuan's displeasure, Zhou Wei felt proud in his heart. Although the Zhou family was not as powerful as his predecessors, they did not dare to bully anyone. Now the Yang family of the Hong family was far behind his own family.
The words are not speculative, and there is a bit of silence. Yang Anxuan said with a smile: "It was originally voluntary to help the people in the countryside. Since the Zhou family has too much time to take care of themselves, we will not bother you more and say goodbye."
Zhou Wei felt cold in his heart. This young General Yang was indeed not a good person. His seemingly casual words branded the Zhou family as unwilling to help their neighbors.
He wanted to refute, but he couldn't find the right words for the moment, so he had to accompany Yang Anxuan down to the dock building and bowed before saying goodbye.
Back at the inn, Yang Anxuan felt that Ancheng County was depressed, so he immediately checked out and crossed the Ru River to Nandun City. Sixty miles north of Ancheng is Pingyu City. When you reach Pingyu, turn slightly northeast for more than sixty miles to reach Nandun City.
Galloping all the way to the north, Xin He sat in the carriage and felt the biting cold wind. He looked at Zhang Feng beating his horse and whipping his whip outside the carriage. He was so energetic that he couldn't help but smile at himself. He was really a useless scholar.
Just after Youshi, the sky darkened. We were still more than twenty miles away from Pingyu City, and we couldn't make it tonight. Moreover, along the way, even the official roads often encounter roads damaged by floods, making it difficult for vehicles to travel.
Yang Anxuan came outside the carriage and asked, "Xinji Room, where is this place? Is there a place to rest?"
Xin He stood up and stood on the carriage shaft, trembling with cold. When Yang Anxuan saw it, he took off his big cloak and handed it over, saying apologetically: "I acted foolishly and recklessly. I didn't take care of the Xinji Room. I hope you can forgive me."
Putting on the big cloak, Xin He felt much warmer. He made a distinction and said, "I remember there is a village in the west of Dao. You can go and stay here."
After walking a few miles further, they saw smoke coming from the kitchen to the west of the official road. Yang Anxuan and others walked along the winding dirt road, and a small mountain village appeared in front of them three miles away.
There was a small stream entering the village. The stone bridge above it was gone. A few logs were erected as a bridge. Yang Anxuan frowned. The carriage could not pass.
Yang Anxuan asked to unhorse, and Meng Longfu stepped forward to pick up the carriage and carried it across the bridge.
Xin He was stunned with shock. The carriage weighed at least four hundred kilograms. It was not very difficult to see the Meng Long Fu. Reading history books recorded that Dian Wei was so strong that he could lift the Yamen flag with one hand. He was called the evil in ancient times. , Meng Longfu is no worse than Na Dianwei.
The village is not big, with sixty or seventy households. When they heard the sound of people, an old man at the head of the village came out to look around. Xin He came forward to greet them and explained his intention. The old man let a few people into the house and tied the horses in the courtyard outside the house.
Yang Anxuan looked at the thatched cottage. It was dark and cold, with raincoats hanging on the wall and some sundries piled against the wall. It looked very messy.
"My husband, what's your surname? How old are you? How many people do you have in your family? How is your health?" Yang Anxuan asked.
The old man sighed: "The old man's surname is Xu. He is forty-four years old. He is barely alive. I don't know if he can survive this winter. His two sons and their wives went to An Chengzhou's house to work as tenants. The old man and his three grandchildren Suffering at home.”
Zhang Feng asked in surprise: "Why don't you see your grandson?"
The old man smiled bitterly and said: "This young man, there are no extra clothes at home, and the three children are lying on the pit. If you move less, you can eat less."
Yang Anxuan felt a pain in his heart. The words "lack of food and clothing" were painful to the common people.
Stepping into the house, it was even darker. Yang Anxuan's keen eyesight saw straw, reed flowers and rags piled on the pit in the house. Three little heads poked out of the pit, looking curiously at the visitors.
When he went to the kitchen again, he saw a fire burning and an earthen pot on the stove. Yang Anxuan opened the lid and looked inside. It was dark, sticky, bubbling, and he didn't know what it was. The smell was unpleasant.
Seeing Yang Anxuan looking at the earthen pot, the old man sighed: "This man is not stingy and inhospitable. There is really no food in the house. These wild vegetables and black beans are enough for the whole family."
Yang Anxuan endured his sadness and said to Zhang Feng: "Give half of the dry food we brought to the elders."
Cooking cakes, meat sticks and other items were piled on the table. The old man cried while watching the food and was about to kneel down. Yang Anxuan supported him and said: "Don't worry, old man, Yu is the new chief registrar of the county. Wait for at least half a month, and the government will We will send people to distribute relief food, and we will never let the people die of cold and hunger."
When he heard that the people in front of him were officials, Old Man Xu was trembling and speechless, staring at the table while eating.
Yang Anxuan asked the old man to put away the food and led everyone to the courtyard. The courtyard was wide and flat, with a vegetable patch on the west side, which was very neat.
"Long Fu, bring someone to chop some firewood. Let's light a fire in the courtyard and rest."
Soon, the bonfire was blazing, and Yang Anxuan and others sat around the fire. Old Man Xu relaxed a little and took an earthen pot to boil water to greet the guests.
Yang Anxuan pulled the old man to sit down, put the cooked noodles into his hands, and held Jia Cang's hand.
After the old man relaxed, he slowly asked about Pingyu's situation. He learned that Pingyu accounted for 45% of the people like Old Man Xu. Yang Anxuan frowned. If so, the 500,000 people in Runan, At least 200,000 people need to be helped. Based on five taels of corn per person for 60 days, at least 200,000 stones of corn are needed, which is far beyond my imagination.
The failure in raising food from the Zhou family in Ancheng made Yang Anxuan feel heavy. He had a long way to go to tide over the difficulties smoothly.
It was late at night, and Yang Anxuan couldn't sleep, so he simply got up from the pile of straw in the house, gently opened the door and came to the courtyard.
It was almost midnight, the moon was high in the sky, and the cold moonlight shone down, casting a silvery glow on the small courtyard.
Yang Anxuan left the courtyard with his hands behind his back and walked along the path in the village. There was no sound everywhere, and the wind shook the trees like ghosts.
After taking a breath of the crisp air, Yang Anxuan slowly moved his hands and feet, spreading his wings, closing them, and swimming. His movements were stretched, strong and soft, which is the key to the Dayan Kung Fu.
The true energy surging in the meridians makes the body feel light and refreshing, and the depression in the heart disappears with dancing.
The true energy was swimming in the meridians like a ball. Yang Anxuan exhaled and punched the big tree three feet away. With a "bang", the bark of the tree, which was about a foot thick, was smashed, and the bark was dented more than half an inch deep. pit.
Standing under the moonlight, Yang Anxuan was filled with joy and inexplicable joy.
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