Jinyang Mansion.
Jinyang was the administrative seat of Bingzhou, equivalent to today's provincial capital city, and the governor's office of Bingzhou was also established here.
Originally, Bingzhou Governor's Office was supposed to be in charge of most of Jinyang's government affairs, but now Bingzhou Governor's Office is just a younger brother.
The Governor's Mansion of Longwu Army, one of the Sixth Army of the Emperor, is also in Jinyang City.
The governor of Bingzhou has an official rank of no more than four ranks and a salary of no more than a thousand dan. Cao Xueyang, the Commander-in-Chief of the Longwu Army, has an official rank below the third rank, and Cao Xueyang also serves as the Right Commander-in-Chief of the Sixth Army Commander's Mansion, a rank below the second rank. Although Cao Xueyang's Marquis of Pingyang is not hereditary, it is also a super-grade Marquis.
The officials of Bingzhou Governor's Office did not dare to do anything beyond their reach, otherwise they would not be able to bear the impeachment memorial from Marquis Cao.
Ma Shiqian, the governor of Bingzhou, came from a poor family. He entered the imperial examination and was only ranked in the middle of the second class. However, he served as an official all the way from the county magistrate to the prefect and then to the governor. In the areas he governed, he built water conservancy projects and encouraged farmers to teach. Mulberry, people live and work in peace and contentment.
In the first year of Linde, Ma Shiqian, Yin of Xiangyang Prefecture, was recommended by the Ministry of Officials and selected by the cabinet. The emperor personally approved it with his own pen, and he was moved to the right to be the governor of Bingzhou.
Since he took office, he has worked hard day and night without daring to neglect his duties.
The Hou Jin invasion battle destroyed most of Bingzhou, and a battle to defend Jinyang even shattered the once famous city of Jinyang.
Ma Shiqian spent two and a half years rebuilding Jinyang bit by bit, and now it has begun to bear fruit. Although it cannot be compared with Jinyang before the war, there are still people coming and going, caravans are constantly coming, and the war inside and outside the city has caused chaos. The damaged houses have already been rebuilt.
Although the life of the people cannot be compared with that of the prosperous places in the south of the Yangtze River, it has improved somewhat, and there is a sense of joy and prosperity on the surface.
Although the Hou Jin invasion that year caused serious disasters to the people in the north, it also had benefits.
It was over half a century after the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the phenomenon of land annexation began to appear.
The policy implemented by Yang Qingyuan was to solve land annexation, but there was huge resistance to the implementation of this matter in the north.
There are many wealthy merchants in the land of Jiangnan. They make profits but do not care about the food produced by the land. For the wealthy families in Jiangnan, land is just a status symbol.
But for the northern aristocratic families in Bingzhou and other northern territories, land is the foundation of their family.
Only with these ancestral lands can they be called a wealthy family.
Originally there was great resistance to land reform in the north, but Hou Jin's invasion eliminated most of the resistance.
The streets of heaven trampled all the bones of the ministers, and the inner treasury was burnt to ashes.
Emperor Taizu Gao, Emperor Taizong Wen, Emperor Xizong Li and today, they will all be reasonable people.
But Houjin Jiannu will not reason with you.
During the invasion of Hou Jin, these wealthy families were the ones who suffered the most. Ordinary people, ordinary people, had no profit. Killing them is mostly for venting their anger.
But these wealthy families in the north are what really make the Houjin Jiannu Cavalry excited. Their accumulation over decades and hundreds of years has made their families rich and coveted.
Most of the aristocratic families were massacred and plundered by Hou Jin.
These wealthy families are not necessarily treacherous and evil, but due to their own interests, they will inevitably stand on the opposite side of the court's land reform.
These aristocratic families were slaughtered by the Jiannu of the Later Jin Dynasty, and the land they occupied was naturally vacated.
Even if the family was not exterminated, the severely damaged family would not be able to continue to control so much land, which made Ma Shiqian's decree extremely smooth.
At this time, it was late at night, but the lights in Ma Shiqian's study were still bright.
Working from six to nine, with a day off on the third of January, this governor is such a workaholic. Because he was born in a poor family, he does not have much personal hobbies. He does not play piano, chess, calligraphy or painting, and he has no attainments in music. His biggest hobby is Just work.
If you work less than half an hour every day, you will feel uncomfortable all over. You are simply a chosen worker.
At three o'clock in the morning, most people had fallen asleep, but the governor was still studying the route of the water canal to be dug.
Bingzhou's water resources are not abundant. If canals can be dug to divert water, it will definitely have a big impact on agricultural development.
At this time, the people have completed the autumn water, and it is the most leisurely time of the year. If we can take advantage of this time to mobilize the people and dig canals, Bingzhou's agriculture will surely reach a higher level next year.
Just when Ma Shiqian was drawing seriously, the window suddenly opened, and a gust of cold wind blew in. Ma Shiqian looked up and saw that a man in black had rushed into the house through the window.
"Who are you!?" Ma Shiqian shouted sharply.
He was a fourth-rank official in the imperial court, governor of Bingzhou, and a high official in Xinjiang.
It was a provocation to the imperial court for mere quacks to enter the private residences of high officials late at night.
Xia used force to break the ban. This may have happened ten years ago, but with the rise of Dali Temple and the expansion of the Six Gates, ordinary people in the world would no longer take action against people in the imperial court easily.
"I was ordered to bring great wealth to Master Ma."
Ma Shiqian's white eyebrows were not furrowed. Although he was only in his forties, he already had white eyebrows, but not only did he not look older, but he looked more heroic.
"You are a man of the world, why do you dare to talk about wealth and wealth? You'd better retreat! Don't cause trouble for yourself!"
Seeing that Ma Shiqian was unmoved, the visitor immediately went straight to the point, "Master Ma has the talent of Guan Zhongleyi, but the Emperor of Zhou does not know the real gold, which makes Master Ma condescend to the position of governor of Bingzhou. It is really overqualified..."
Ma Shiqian did not answer directly but followed the words of the man in black and said, "Then what do you mean?"
"My lord, King Zhao, is the son of Emperor Taizu Gao and the younger brother of Emperor Taizong Wen. He guards Yan City and has great military exploits. His wisdom, martial arts, and martial arts are far superior to those of the little emperors in the city of God!? My king is facing a horse. We have been friends with you for a long time, and among the governors of the northern states, the person I admire the most is Master Ma."
When the man in black said the name of King Zhao, Ma Shiqian already knew the sequence of events. Next, the man in black would probably promise huge profits. If the inducement failed, he would kill himself.
"My king, please let me bring a message to Lord Ma. As long as Lord Ma is willing to surrender and be loyal to my lord, the position of governor of Zhongzhou belongs to Lord Ma! He will also be given the title of Minister of Rites! And he will be rewarded with three thousand taels of gold."
The conditions offered by the men in black were quite generous. Zhongzhou originally did not have a governor, only the chief officials of Jingzhao Yin Mansion and five counties and twenty-seven counties.
The governor of Zhongzhou was in the third rank among the official ranks of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Those who could hold this position must be the emperor's confidants and the future pillars of the imperial court.
Although the Minister of Rites only holds the official title of the fourth rank and seems to have little real power, he is the most noble.
The Minister of Rites is called the Prime Minister, and all the Ministers of Rites in the Zhou dynasties were members of the cabinet.
Becoming the Minister of Rites is equivalent to getting a ticket to the cabinet. In later generations, there will also be such a position, secretary of the Secretariat.
If you are interested, you can check it out. There are very familiar names on it.
King Zhao promised the position of Minister of Rites, which actually gave Ma Shiqian an opportunity to compete for the position of Assistant Minister of the Cabinet.
This condition is already very favorable!
But Ma Shiqian had no intention of being moved at all. He was greatly favored by Emperor Taizu Gao, and was valued by Emperor Linde, who was appointed governor of a state.
It can be said that 30% of his current position is due to his own efforts, and 70% is due to the attention of two generations of emperors.
There are too many hard-working and capable people in the court, but how many high-ranking officials and fourth-grade officials there are? !
If he committed treason today because of the benefits promised by King Zhao, Ma Shiqian himself would look down on himself.
"I hope your Excellency will tell King Zhao for me that I am indebted to you for your wrong love, but I have been greatly favored by Emperor Taizong and this emperor. I dare not relax in the slightest. Ma Shiqian's abilities are limited and it is difficult for him to take on the important role of King Zhao. Please don't worry about it." Got it!"
…
The man in black was stunned for a moment when he heard this. To be honest, he felt that the conditions given by King Zhao were really generous.
Regardless of other official positions, the three thousand taels of gold alone is a huge wealth.
This is the difference between the black warrior and Ma Shiqian.
In the eyes of the warrior in black, three thousand taels of gold was the wealth that attracted him the most; but in Ma Shiqian's eyes, this three thousand taels of gold was not even worth mentioning.
"What a pity! The Spurs can't be loyal to my lord and it's hard to work with me." The man in black shook his head, his tone full of pity.
"Your Majesty has a second secret order. If Mr. Ma refuses to drink the fine wine during the toast, then we can only send Mr. Ma to meet Emperor Taizong Wen in advance!"
The man in black slowly drew out a thin sword, and then said to Ma Shiqian, "Master Ma, are you waiting for the few detectives who are protecting you? No need to wait, they are sleeping with their heads covered now!"
A high official like Ma Shiqian was naturally guarded by warriors from the Six Gates, so before coming to see Ma Shiqian, the men in black had already dealt with these people.
"Go well, Master Ma!"
A sword light lit up, and the sword stabbed straight.
Just when the sword light was about to hit Ma Shiqian, a long sword blocked the edge of the man in black.
"who?!"
The man in black swept across with his sword, and then retreated quickly. Hold the sword in front of you for protection.
"Huashan School Linghu Chong, I have seen this... a sneaky, secretive villain!" The young swordsman appeared in front of the man in black with a cynical smile.
The Huashan sect was the second sect to seek refuge with the imperial court, the first being Emei.
Only Wudang is left, which cannot be considered as a surrender. The founder of Wudang was originally one of the original partners of Dazhou. In essence, Wudang and Dazhou are one family.
Among the eight sects at that time, Huashan and Emei were the most declining, so these two were the first to defect to the imperial court.
The effect of taking refuge in the imperial court was also significant.
The Miejie Master of the Emei Sect has obtained the complete version of the Nine Yin Divine Art. It is said that she has found the threshold of the Dongxuan Realm and has gone into seclusion. It is estimated that by the time she comes out of seclusion again, Emei will have one more master of the Dongxuan Realm.
As for the high-end combat power of the Huashan Sect, only Feng Qingyang supports it. Although Yue Buqun is deeply scheming and tenacious, his understanding is slightly lacking. However, after obtaining Huashan's Thirteen Qingfeng Swords and integrating them with the Huashan Sect's mental methods, Yue Buqun also made great progress in martial arts and was expected to touch the threshold of the Dongxuan Realm.
For the Huashan Sect, the biggest gain is the prosperity of the new generation.
Originally, among the younger generation in Huashan, there was only one Linghu Chong who could do it, but it was only in the realm of Tongmai. It could be said that there was no chance of success.
Since joining the imperial court, the academic certificates of the Huashan Sect have been certified by the imperial court. Under the same conditions, the imperial court will give priority to recruiting disciples of the Huashan Sect, which has attracted a large number of people.
After learning literary and martial arts, his goods went to the emperor's family.
There is still a market for this idea.
Linghu Chong, the top disciple of the Huashan Sect, was also sent to the Six Gates by Yue Buqun, and is now the leader of the Six Gates.
The Storm Chasers do not have a fixed jurisdiction. They are assigned by the Six Doors Headquarters to perform various tasks in different places.
This is also in line with Linghu Chong's unruly temperament. If he is really allowed to patrol with a knife, it will really torture him.
"You, a junior, dare to be so presumptuous in front of me. When I was fighting with your master, you were still learning to walk with your master's wife!"
The man in black was obviously a little bit upset about being forced back by a junior with a sword.
Linghu Chong thought after hearing this. According to what the man in black said, it seems that he has a relationship with his master!
But he didn't hesitate too much. He was a free and easy person. He didn't think so much and just drew his sword!
In the flash of sword light, the two of them had already exchanged twenty moves.
The two sides stopped and pushed away, and a piece of the man in black's left sleeve had been cut off.
If the man in black hadn't used a graceless but extremely effective move called Donkey Roll, the man in black's left arm would have been injured by Linghu Chong.
"I am a villain who hides his head and tail. It turns out that I am a senior of the Songshan Sect. That's not surprising at all!"
This is so irritating. It’s weird for others to hide their heads and show their tails, but it’s not weird for me, the Songshan Sect, right? What's the meaning? !
Normally, the man in black would definitely argue with Linghu Chong, or even go to Huashan, but now he had no such intention.
Judging from the fact that this boy is not too old, he is probably around twenty-four or five years old. How can he have such exquisite swordsmanship? ! Is Huashan's swordsmanship really so much better than Songshan's? !
The man in black shook his head, dissatisfied, and took action again. At this time, he no longer kept secrets, and the authentic Songshan swordsmanship came out. There are a total of 17 methods of Songshan swordsmanship. They are powerful and majestic, like spears and halberds, spanning thousands of miles. They are "an upright master".
Zuo Lengchan eliminated the essentials from the original Songshan swordsmanship, and modified all the moves and postures that were not fierce enough and not grand enough in his swordsmanship one by one. Although he did not create a new swordsmanship, he was able to sort out the Songshan swordsmanship. The great contributor to the law made the power of Songshan Sword Art even higher.
There are all the long, short, fast and slow sword techniques including the inner eight, outer nine and seventeenth paths.
But such perfect Songshan swordsmanship seemed to be full of flaws in front of Linghu Chong.
The man in black felt that every time he drew his sword, it would be cut off by Linghu Chong's quick sword. This boy's grasp of timing had reached an indescribable level.
This kind of swordsmanship reminds the man in black of a person - the Qingyuan Sword Lord who made a big fuss in Songshan Mountain back then.
There is no enemy under the sword.
The more the man in black fought, the more frightened he became. If he continued fighting like this, he would be defeated by Linghu Chong within thirty moves, and he would not be able to leave even if he wanted to.
Thinking of this, the man in black made a decision in his heart, sheathed his sword, raised his energy, concentrated his concentration, and suddenly shouted, "Senior brother, save me!!"
