"Hello, old man." Yang Peng walked over and said hello with a smile. The old man followed the sound and saw an extraordinary young man. He also saw a dozen followers following the young man. He immediately did not dare to neglect, stood up quickly and bowed: "Young Master!" His words were filled with emotion. In addition to the strong Sichuan accent, the accent of Sichuan people in the Song Dynasty nearly a thousand years ago was almost the same as that of modern Sichuan people!
Yang Peng sat down on the big bluestone. Seeing that the old man was still standing respectfully, he smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, old man. Sit down and talk." The old man responded and sat down with half of his buttocks next to the big bluestone. There was no smoke. If you dare to smoke, quickly put it behind your back.
Yang Peng asked: "Is the old man a local?" The old man couldn't help laughing and said: "The little old man was born in Chengdu, grew up in Chengdu, and has lived in Chengdu all his life!" He looked at Yang Peng and said, "Master But it doesn't look like us Chengdu people!" Yang Peng said: "I am a merchant from outside." The old man's eyes revealed that this was indeed the case.
Yang Peng pointed to the busy dock and asked, "Are the docks here always so busy?"
The old man looked at the pier in the direction of Yang Peng's finger, shook his head and said: "It was not so busy in the past! It has only become so busy in the past few years!" "Oh? Is it just in the past few years? What's the reason? "The old man said: "It's not because of the war! Ever since the Khitans invaded the south, refugees have been fleeing to our Sichuan. Our Sichuan has outstanding people and is a land of abundance. Needless to say, that is the most important thing. Surrounded by steep mountains for protection, no matter how powerful someone is, they can't get in. How safe are we! Back then, during the Three Kingdoms period, if Deng Ai hadn't found a small road to sneak attack, he wouldn't have been able to defeat Sichuan even in a hundred years with his own strength! "
Yang Peng smiled and said: "Old man, do you still know about Deng Ai?"
The old man raised his eyebrows, "Of course I know! Although the little old man has never read books, he often reads storytelling. The little old man not only knows the things about the Three Kingdoms, but also knows the heroes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, like Li Yuanba, the first hero of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. And those heroes of Wagang Village!..." The old man said with great joy. Yang Peng naturally didn't want to hear this, but he didn't interrupt him. The old man talked for a long time, and suddenly realized that he had strayed too far away from the topic. He smiled sheepishly and said: "The little old man likes to listen to the storytelling of the heroes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties the most, and he ended up talking about that without knowing it! I'm sorry, sir." ah!"
Yang Peng smiled and said: "The old man likes the heroes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, but also the heroes of the Three Kingdoms?" The old man nodded. Yang Peng asked again: "Don't you like people like Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui?" The old man said with a blank look on his face: "What do they do?" Yang Peng laughed, and the old man was laughed at very much. Embarrassed, he said sarcastically: "The old man has never read a book, which makes the young master laugh!" Yang Peng waved his hand and asked: "I wonder if the old man knows Kou Zhun?" The old man's eyes lit up, "Of course I know, Kou Qingtian!" Yang Peng asked: "Do you think this kind of official is better, or heroes like Li Yuanba and Qin Shubao?"
The old man showed a look of embarrassment, picked his head, and said: "This, this, all good! Although old Kou Qingtian can make decisions for us people, he can only catch a few corrupt officials. If the emperor does bad things, he will be punished I don’t think old Kou Qingtian can control taxes. If he insists on taking care of it, the emperor may not be able to save his own head if he gets angry. Moreover, if the Khitans invade, old Kou Qingtian will be even less able to control it. Yes, those knives of his can defeat corrupt officials and local bullies, but they are of no use in front of the Khitan people! Therefore, the little old man thinks that heroes like Li Yuanba and Qin Shubao are the best! With them around, the bad guys outside If they can't get in, if the emperor does something bad, they will..." At this point, he was suddenly startled, and quickly shut up and stopped talking. He looked at Yang Peng with some worry, secretly regretting that he shouldn't have said this out of excitement. A few words.
Yang Peng asked with a smile: "If the emperor does bad things, these heroes can bring him down?" The old man's face turned pale, and he waved his hands quickly: "I definitely don't mean that!"
Yang Peng smiled and said: "It's not impossible to say this! The world does not belong to the emperor's family. If they do bad things, naturally anyone can pull them down!" When the old man saw what Yang Peng said, he agreed very much in his heart. But he didn't dare to say a word, and then he reminded him nervously: "Master, don't say these words casually! If the government hears it, it will be a serious crime of confiscating the house and exterminating the family!"
Yang Peng smiled and said to the old man: "Old man, you said that when the Khitans went south, refugees continued to flee into Sichuan?" Seeing that Yang Peng didn't talk about the rebellion anymore, the old man breathed a sigh of relief and nodded: "Yes, in recent years, I don't know about other places, but the population in Chengdu has increased too much! There is no room for people to live in the city, so many firewood shacks have been built outside the city. The alleys are full of beggars. Hey, robberies and murders are always happening all day long. It’s really unsettling! When there are more people, there will naturally be more goods needed, so in recent years there are more and more people on the wharf. Busy, those merchants are making a lot of money!" When he said the last sentence, the old man's eyes showed a very envious look, but for him, he could only be envious.
"Old man, according to your estimate, how many times the freight volume is now than when there were no refugees?" Yang Peng asked this for a reason. He can estimate the degree of population increase in Chengdu and even Sichuan in large words based on the increase in freight volume. This By adding the increase to Sichuan's original population, we can roughly get the total population of Sichuan. This data is naturally very useful to Chen Xiao, the King of Yan.
The old man thought for a while and said, "It seems to have doubled."
Yang Peng immediately estimated in his mind: 'According to the intelligence, Sichuan's pre-war population was five million, and the freight volume increased twice. In simple calculation, it is five million times three, which is fifteen million. However, considering To the agglomeration effect of Chengdu, a central city, multiplying by three is not accurate. The population of Sichuan as a whole should not reach 15 million, but there is definitely a population of 10 million. Yang Peng was very surprised to get this data. You must know that the total population of China is only 65 million, and Sichuan has more than 10 million, which is one-sixth of the total population of China!
Yang Peng's thoughts suddenly turned to food. If there is not enough food in Sichuan, the first thing to do after taking Sichuan is to transport food into Sichuan. Otherwise, society will inevitably be in turmoil. However, half of the grain previously purchased from Jiangnan through commercial channels had been consumed in the previous war. Part of the remaining half was transported to Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures for disaster relief, and the other part was used to mobilize and deploy several armies against the imperial court. There is no extra food in the warehouse. If Sichuan itself is short of food, the problem may be very serious after taking Sichuan.
As soon as Yang Peng thought about this, he asked the old man: "Old man, there are so many refugees in Sichuan. Is there enough food to eat?"
The old man said angrily: "It's okay that the young master didn't say this, but these little old men became extremely angry when he said it!" "What's wrong?" The old man said bitterly: "Our Sichuan has been a land of abundance since ancient times. That's true. Every year the weather is good and the grain is good. Fengdeng, let alone the people of Sichuan, it is possible to raise the people of the entire Jiangnan! But now there are many people who have neither food nor clothing. They either go begging and become beggars, or they become bandits. It’s so smoky!” Yang Peng asked, “Why is this? Could it be that there has been a natural disaster recently, resulting in a poor harvest?”
The old man shook his head and said: "Even if there is a natural disaster here, it will not have much impact. We will still have a good harvest. This is all thanks to Li Taishou!" Yang Peng knew that the Li Taishou he was talking about was Li Bing, who was ordered to control floods in Xichuan during the Warring States Period. He With the construction of Dujiangyan and other water conservancy projects, Sichuan has become a land of abundance with good weather and abundant harvests. Not to mention the people of the Song Dynasty, even the people of Sichuan in modern society have great respect for Li Bing. There is a local Nuo opera that specifically praises Li Bing's achievements in flood control.
The old man continued: "Last year and this year were great harvests. We have so much grain in Sichuan that we can't even put it in the warehouse! Alas, but all this grain is in the hands of the government and non-official landlords. In order to make money, they hoard all the good grain. Get up and sell only old grain at high prices! The family is not very well-off, and it will collapse after a short time. Even the family with a good family situation has become very difficult! These are still good, at least they can afford to buy food to survive. , many people whose family background is very difficult cannot afford food, and either become beggars to survive, or fall into the hands of bandits!"
Yang Peng frowned and said: "There is an envoy of Xuanfu and an envoy of Zhenfu in Sichuan. Don't these two adults care about the life and death of the people?" The old man couldn't help but cursed: "I gave him two dog officials! They They only care about fighting for power and profit, but they don’t care about the life and death of ordinary people like us! I really hope that a thunder from the sky will strike these sons of bitches to death!"
Yang Peng said: "Maybe the face is in the hands of the wealthy gentry, and the government does not have much food in its hands."
The old man hurriedly said: "Young master, you don't know, I once helped my boss transport goods to the official warehouse of Xuanfu Envoy Yamen. I saw with my own eyes that the grain in the official warehouse was piled up like a mountain, and it was almost too much to hold!"
Yang Peng frowned and said, "Then the common people who have land at home shouldn't have a hard time, right?" The old man shook his head, "Wrong! Life is even harder! The government levies grain and taxes, almost all of which are directed at them! Except for those members of the gentry. , most of them are famous and can be rent-free and tax-free. However, businessmen have plenty of money. As long as they feed the officials, the officials will help them evade taxes! Therefore, the burden of tax falls on ordinary people. !”
Yang Peng couldn't help but frowned after hearing the old man's words. Suddenly I thought of a play called "Yang Bailao" I had watched, and found that the plot depicted in the play was not fictional. Although the play described things in the feudal period, it was consistent with the basic situation of this era. Yes, I'm afraid the reality of the Song Dynasty far exceeded the plot in the play.
Yang Peng asked: "What do you most want the world to be like?"
The old man grinned and said: "It's useless for us little people to even think about it!" Yang Peng smiled and said: "It's okay to talk." The old man looked at Yang Peng suspiciously and asked: "Sir, why do you care about these things? What happened?" Then his heart moved and he asked with a surprised look on his face: "Is the young master the imperial envoy from above?" Yang Peng smiled and said: "You can say that." When the old man heard this, he immediately stood in awe and hurriedly got up. He knelt down and said: "The little people are ignorant and don't know when the adults are coming. You, the adults, are in great numbers. Don't argue with the little people. Just think of what the little people just said is a shitty fart made by the little people!" The whole person lay on the ground, whispering. trembling.
Yang Peng helped the old man up, and the old man raised his head. His face, as old and dry as the bark of a grain tree, was full of fear. Yang Peng smiled and said: "What you just said is very good, I want to thank you!" The old man thought he was talking ironically, and was so frightened that he was about to kneel down again, but was supported by Yang Peng. The old man cried and begged for mercy: "Sir, there is absolutely no malice in what Xiaomin said. Xiaomin does not dare to be dissatisfied with the imperial court. Xiaomin is grateful to the imperial court!"
Yang Peng smiled and said: "Don't be afraid, I really think you said it well!" Seeing Yang Peng's sincere attitude and kind expression, the old man couldn't help but let go of his worries and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He couldn't help but said: "Sir, you, you are so good!"
Yang Peng pulled the old man to sit down again and said with a smile: "As I said before, old man, what do you want Chengdu to be like so that you can feel happy?" The old man thought that Yang Peng was an imperial minister, and seeing how kind he was, he was moved. He couldn't help but tell the truth: "My lord, I'm asking, the common people don't dare to hide it! In fact, the common people don't want much, as long as they can live in peace and contentment, that's enough!"
Yang Peng asked with a smile: "How can we live a peaceful and happy life?" The old man thought for a while and said: "This means that the government agencies should not be partial and do not bully us ordinary people with the officials, foreign gentry and others! Well, they committed a crime Law, we ordinary people can have a place to seek justice! Also, the government's taxes and labor are so severe that the ordinary people can hardly breathe!" Yang Peng asked: "People like you work for people. People also have to pay taxes and do corvee labor?" The old man asked in surprise: "Your Excellency, you don't know. Isn't this what the court wants?" Yang Peng said, "I hope to hear what you said." The old man said oh and sighed. In a tone, he said: "Our working life is no better than that of farmers! Sometimes it is even worse! If you meet a good employer, that's fine. Otherwise, the employer will use various excuses, similar to paying taxes to the government on your behalf. Wait, withholding wages, in the end, I'm afraid only 20% to 30% of the 10% will be obtained! This is not over yet, the government will also levy poll tax and other messy taxes on us..."
Yang Peng asked: "Didn't you say that the employer paid taxes on his behalf and already deducted wages? Why do we still have to pay taxes?"
The old man smiled bitterly and shook his head and said: "How can we commoners understand this? If you ask your boss, he will drive him away as soon as he doesn't like it. If you ask the government, you will get a scolding at the least, a slap in the face at the worst, and even... Get caught and go to jail! Hey, after all, we ordinary people can't afford to offend our bosses or the government, so we can only accept it!" After saying this, he sighed again and again.
Yang Peng thought for a moment and asked the old man: "Of the officials here, which one do you think is good?" The old man tilted his head and thought for a while, and said: "There are a few adults who are very good to us ordinary people, and some of them are very kind to the common people. Some of what I saw was what I heard." Yang Peng asked: "What are their names and their official positions? Do you know?" The old man nodded and said, "Of course I do." Then he spoke out one by one like a treasure trove. . Yang Peng was born into an elite special forces soldier and had a very good memory, so he remembered it after the old man said it once.
The sound of horse hooves suddenly sounded. Yang Peng followed the sound and saw one of his secret guards galloping towards him. The secret guard ran nearby, reined in his horse, rolled down, ran to Yang Peng, and said: "Master, Mr. Fan sent someone to send a message. He is waiting for the master at Taibai Tower!" Since the birth of Li Taibai in China, countless The restaurant was named after him. It seems that as long as it is named after him, it can be a little fairy-like. This seems to be the case.
Yang Peng stood up, and the old man quickly stood up as well. Yang Peng smiled and said to the old man: "Goodbye, old man!" The old man knelt down quickly and said: "I send you my best regards!" Yang Peng turned and left, followed closely by the secret guards. The old man didn't dare to raise his head until Yang Peng and his party were far away, looked at their backs, and murmured excitedly: "I have to go back quickly to tell the old woman and children that I saw the imperial minister!" Yan Nian At this point, I hurriedly climbed up, not even leaving the dry tobacco pole placed next to the big bluestone, and ran towards home in a hurry. I didn't pay attention to my steps, tripped on a stone, and fell with a splash, not caring about the pain. , got up and ran again.
Yang Peng and his party arrived outside Taibai Tower, not far from the Zhenfu Envoy's residence. It was not long after nightfall, and it was the busiest time of the day for the restaurant. Outside the restaurant, there were many guests and bustling people. The three-story restaurant was quite beautiful under the moonlight, and it really had the charm of a heavenly palace. Walking into the lobby, I saw that the lobby was already full of guests. The sound of drinking and punching could be heard one after another. There were drunken drinkers going crazy. Several of them were imitating Li Taibai, holding wine glasses in their hands, staggering around, and chanting famous songs. Psalm, some drinkers applauded and echoed, while others showed contempt.
A waiter came up to Yang Peng and others, hunched over and asked with a smile on his face: "How many guests are there? Unfortunately, the private room is no longer available!"
The secret guard who came to inform Yang Peng earlier said: "We are here as an appointment. Mr. Fan has reserved a private room here!" The waiter showed a look of surprise and said: "Mr. Fan came over and said that he invited distinguished guests. There must be a few of you, please follow the younger one!" Then he led everyone upstairs. Arriving outside a private room on the third floor, the waiter turned around, bowed and said, "This is it!" Then he knocked gently on the door, and a man's voice came from the door: "What's the matter?" The waiter said He raised his voice and said: "Mr. Fan, the guests you have been waiting for are here!" The sound of tables and chairs moving was immediately heard from the door, followed by the sound of rapid footsteps, and then the door was opened with a crash, and a bronze-skinned man The young man who appeared in front of Yang Peng was Fan Yong, the envoy who secretly went to Sichuan under his order.
Fan Yong showed surprise when he saw Yang Peng, took out a piece of broken silver and handed it to the waiter, saying: "Go and prepare the best food and wine!" The waiter got the silver, his face was full of joy, and he agreed without hesitation, He ran down quickly.
Seeing that there were no outsiders, Fan Yong clasped his fists and bowed respectfully: "King Yan." Yang Peng waved his hand, "This is not our place, all etiquette is waived." "Yes." Yang Peng walked in, and two secret guards Standing guard at the door, the others followed inside.
Yang Peng sat at the top, Fan Yong sat at the bottom to accompany the Prime Minister, and all the secret guards were scattered around the private room to protect it.
Fan Yong picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Yang Pengman. Yang Peng picked up the teacup, took a sip, put down the teacup, raised his head, looked at Fan Yong, and said with a smile: "You don't look good!" Fan Yong sighed, "There is no clue about what the young master explained, and the mood of the subordinate. You can’t get better!”
Yang Peng asked: "Have you been in contact with An Bing and Zhou Rong?" Fan Yong nodded and frowned: "These two guys are still waiting for a price. It's not just me who is here, the emperor's secret envoy, The Tibetan envoys are here! Huh, the Tubo people actually want to annex Sichuan, they are really overestimating their capabilities!"
Yang Peng asked: "Did these two guys put forward any conditions?" Fan Yong shook his head, "These two people still haven't revealed their trump cards! Both of them were very polite to me, but they didn't talk about practical issues!" "Other aspects. Do you know the negotiation situation between the envoy and these two people?" Fan Yong shook his head and said: "My subordinates inquired through various channels, but still did not get any valuable information! I judged that the two of them were deliberately taking advantage of the opportunity to increase their social status. !”
Yang Peng thought and nodded. Fan Yong took a look and said: "Sir, with all due respect, I'm worried that the conditions we offer may not be as attractive as those offered by others!" Yang Peng smiled and said: "That's for sure, the Tubo people promised to It is impossible for us to give them the rank of general!" Fan Yong was startled and asked, "How did the young master know about this?" Yang Peng said, "I learned about the situation from An Qian." Fan Yong already knew An Qian's identity and the place where Yang Peng and the others lived from the secret guard. When he heard Yang Peng's words, he suddenly understood and couldn't help but reveal an ambiguous smile.
Yang Peng said: "It is impossible for us to give them such a high official position, but they themselves should also know very well that although others give them good treatment, they do not have such a strong military front as Yan Yun! No matter how good they can get from others, Treatment, but in front of my Yanyun army, after all, it can only be the moon in the mirror!" Fan Yong nodded in agreement, "Young master is right, that's it! They also saw it, so they didn't dare to offend at all. Kill me!" He glanced at Yang Peng and said: "King Yan, in fact, as long as the conditions we offer are equivalent to others, I think they will immediately turn to us!..." Yang Peng waved his hand and said categorically: "This gap cannot be used. Open it, otherwise what will Yanyun’s loyal generals and officials think?”
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
