The day after the destruction of the Yang family, everything returned to normal.
Guzang County is still the same.
However, the slave trading business run by the Yang family has completely gone bankrupt. The Yang family's share has been absorbed by others, and other businessmen are already responsible for it.
In fact, there were many people running slave businesses in Guzang County, but the Yang family was the only one. The rest of the people relied on the Yang family and did not dare to cross the line. Now that the Yang family is gone, these people have risen rapidly to seize the business.
Lin Feng began to handle the government affairs of the county government. Fortunately, with Cui Yuantu and Huan Suzhi, everything was simple and not complicated. While Lin Feng was handling government affairs, it was Gao Xiaoyu who came in and reported: "Master Marquis, General Meng'ao wants to see you."
"Please."
Lin Feng quickly ordered.
Meng Ao is a general in the army and the mainstay of Guzang County. With Meng Ao here, Guzang County is as stable as Mount Tai, and will not be affected by external forces. After all, the army is here and the place is stable. Lin Feng himself had the authority of the emperor, so even someone like Shen Quan could only watch.
Lin Feng even stood up and went to the door of the room to wait in person. In terms of title, he is indeed higher than Meng Ao, but in terms of qualifications and official positions, they are far inferior to Meng Ao, not to mention that Meng Ao is also a senior.
Meng'ao deserves to be greeted personally by Lin Feng.
Not long after, Meng Ao entered the backyard, and he saw Lin Feng greeting him at the door, with a smile on his rough face.
"Master Lin!"
Meng Ao stepped forward and saluted with his hands in hand.
"General Meng, please!"
Lin Feng smiled and waved.
The two of them entered the room and sat down. Lin Feng asked, "General Meng, have all the results and losses been accounted for now?"
"The inventory has been completed."
Meng Ao's face was slightly solemn, and he said seriously: "In this battle, we fought with the Qiang people, the Di people, and the Yang family, and killed countless people. After an inventory, we found that the number of people killed was as many as 57,000. .The number of captured troops is more than 18,000."
"It's just that most of the rest of the Qiang and Di people escaped. Fortunately, Lord Lin killed Yang Jingchan, and the main force of the Yang family was wiped out, and the main force of the Yang family was captured."
Meng Ao said: "Overall, this battle is a complete victory."
Lin Feng said: "This battle has indeed gained a lot. It can be said that it has brought out the character of the Qin soldiers. The fierce reputation of the Qin soldiers is admirable. General Meng's reputation for being good at fighting is well-deserved."
Meng Ao smiled and said: "Master Lin is so flattering."
Lin Feng asked: "After this battle, how many soldiers were killed? What were the number of casualties?"
Meng Ao's expression was extremely solemn, and he sighed: "After this battle, the 30,000 Qin elites under my command suffered heavy casualties. As many as 21,628 people died in the battle, although the rest of the soldiers survived. Came down. However, there are still 1,035 people seriously injured."
"After this battle, the losses were huge."
"But think about this battle. We relied on more than 20,000 people to resist the attacks of the Qiang, Di and Yang families, and finally won. This battle is not shameful."
There were actually some tears in Meng Ao's eyes.
He has always loved soldiers as much as his sons.
These soldiers, his favorite soldiers, died on the battlefield.
Lin Feng said solemnly: "These soldiers are worthy of the word hero. For a long time, Guzang County and even Weiwu County have been unable to lose their weight. The Yang family affects the pattern of Weiwu County. Now, the cancer of the Yang family has finally been removed. .”
"At the same time, the two major problems of Qiang and Di people have been completely solved. So many soldiers have been lost this time. When will General Meng plan to recruit more soldiers to replenish them?"
Meng Ao explained: "The army must be organized and the morale of the army must be stabilized. This time, I plan to take some of the prisoners from the Yang family to supplement the army. As for the prisoners of the Qiang and Di people, I will leave it to Lin Houye to arrange these. People can be used as slaves directly. For those who are still vacant, I will recruit them from the local area."
Lin Feng asked: "Has the general calculated how much it will cost to recruit soldiers again? In addition, how much money will it cost approximately including the officers' pensions, awards, etc.?"
Meng Ao thought for a while and said: "Just recruiting soldiers doesn't cost much. After all, recruiting soldiers is just recruiting them directly. The key is to provide compensation, awards, and comfort to those who survived and were seriously injured. This amount of money will cost about 150,000 taels of silver."
"Only 150,000 taels of silver?"
Lin Feng looked a little surprised.
He didn't know the military's reward regulations or the military's pension standards. Just a simple calculation method, more than 20,000 people were killed in the battle, and the pension was only 150,000 taels of silver. Such a data, on average, only seven taels of silver per person.
It's simply too little.
You know, among the 150,000 taels of silver, there are also rewards for meritorious soldiers.
So there is very little money.
After hearing Lin Feng's words, Meng Ao burst out laughing, with a bitter look on his face, and explained: "Master Lin, our Great Qin is different from the Xia Kingdom. Great Qin emphasizes military exploits, and its rewards are more promotions and titles. Monetary rewards, The imperial court's financial resources are not very good, so what can be rewarded?"
"Da Qin's pension is always very small."
"It can't be helped."
"Actually, if I apply for 150,000 taels of silver from the imperial court and it is approved, it would be a huge blessing."
Meng Ao said: "So, don't think it is very little, this is already a lot."
"This is not enough, far from enough!"
Lin Feng said directly: "I will pay the soldiers' pension. Anyway, the money seized from the Yang family this time is quite large. The gold seized was as much as 200,000 taels, and the silver was as much as 2.3 million taels. . Among them, all the gold will be handed over to the imperial court, and the silver will be handed over to 1.5 million taels of silver."
"I left 800,000 taels of silver here in Guzang County. I mainly used this money to commend and comfort the soldiers. Therefore, I took out 500,000 taels of silver and gave it to General Meng to arrange for comfort and comfort. Soldiers."
"ah!"
Meng Ao was surprised.
He was shocked.
Five hundred thousand taels of silver.
This is not a small amount, and Lin Feng only left 300,000 taels of silver for himself.
Meng Ao thought for a while. Although he was also a brave man, he had never seen such a scene before. Na Na said: "Master Lin, if you directly allocate five hundred thousand taels of silver to me, is it too much?" The news spread Come out, I’m afraid His Majesty will be furious.”
"You don't have to worry. When it comes to the outcome of this battle, you can directly report it to His Majesty and report it truthfully. Just say that I arranged it."
Lin Feng looked very calm.
To appease the soldiers, what is a mere five hundred thousand taels of silver?
Will the emperor have any objections?
According to Lin Feng's understanding of Ying Jiuxiao, Ying Jiuxiao would not object. After all, Lin Feng wanted to reform in Guzang County, which required sufficient stability and Meng Ao's support.
After hearing this, Meng Ao stood up and said: "Master Lin, on behalf of the thousands of dead soldiers and injured soldiers, I would like to thank you. Please rest assured, Lord Lin, I will get every cent of these five hundred thousand taels of silver." , every little bit will be distributed. The soldiers who deserve the pension will receive it."
Lin Feng nodded and said, "I believe in General Meng."
Meng Ao changed the topic and suddenly said: "Master Lin, when I entered the city earlier, I heard some news."
Lin Feng said: "What news?"
Meng Ao said: "It's about Lin Houye and Liangzhou Governor Shen Quan. There is news from outside that Shen Quan came to the county government for the development of Liangzhou and to improve the salary of officials, and asked Lin Houye to make arrangements. A financial support.”
"After all, the Marquis has captured the Xie family and is rich! However, Marquis Lin not only refused, but also injured Shen Quan's people. Shen Quan took the overall situation into consideration and never argued with Marquis Lin. Now, although this matter is only Some people are talking about it, but I'm afraid there will be many people who will target Mr. Lin."
Meng Ao said: "You must be careful about this matter."
Lin Feng sneered and said: "This Shen Quan, after he was defeated by me, he wanted to confuse right and wrong. He came directly to pick peaches and wanted to take over all the money and food of the Xie family. I was rebuffed by me, and I even took care of him. He just wanted to Stir up public opinion against me. Unfortunately, it is destined to be useless."
Meng Ao reminded: "Shen Quan is very cunning, especially when Yang Shanlong was around, Shen Quan and Yang Shanlong were very close. This man is flexible and flexible, and he also has many connections in the court. Lord Lin, be careful, don't be careless. Calculation.”
Lin Feng said: "Thank you General Meng for the reminder. I have collected Shen Quan's crimes and reported them to Your Majesty. I believe there will be an imperial decree coming soon. If Shen Quan wants to compete with me, he is destined to fail. "
Meng Ao raised his brows, a little surprised.
Lin Feng has already made a response. As expected, Lin Feng is not a fuel-efficient lamp.
Think about it, when Lin Feng first arrived, he used thunderous means to destroy the Yang family, the Qiang people and the Di people. Would such a person be willing to be suppressed by Shen Quan?
impossible.
This time, Shen Quan may have stolen the chicken but lost the rice and will hit an iron wall.
Meng Ao said: "Since Lord Lin is prepared, it's the best. I have many things to do, so I'll take my leave."
Lin Feng said: "There is a lot of money involved. After General Meng returns, he will lead the soldiers into the city and I will hand over five hundred thousand taels of silver to you. At the same time, you will arrange for a group of soldiers to transfer the rest of the money to the court. And transport it back to the court."
"I'll do it right away."
Meng Ao was excited.
He stood up to say goodbye and left in a hurry.
Meng Ao felt extremely happy when he thought that the dead soldiers could receive adequate compensation, and he was even more grateful to Lin Feng. After Meng Ao returned, he led his soldiers back to the county town in a short period of time. After meeting Lin Feng, he escorted the money away.
Five hundred thousand taels of silver were escorted to the military camp.
Two hundred thousand taels of gold and one and a half million taels of silver were packed into boxes and escorted to Xianyang to be handed over to the court.
Lin Feng settled all these matters before returning to the county government office. It was past noon. When Lin Feng was free, Cui Yuantu came in again. He cupped his hands and said: "Master Hou, starting from yesterday, all the families involved in the Yang family have been notified. The principals of the major families have come together. Ask to see the Marquis. I guess they are ready to atone for their sins."
Lin Feng cheered up and said, "It's just the right time. I just handed over the money to the court and gave another 500,000 taels to Meng Ao, leaving only 300,000 taels of silver. It is still difficult to revitalize Guzang County. These people come and collect another sum of money. With enough money, it will be easier to handle."
Cui Yuantu said: "What the Marquis said makes sense. Only when Meng'ao stabilizes the place, has money to boost commerce, and stabilizes the people can we start to carry out reforms."
Lin Feng said: "That's the truth."
He stood up and took Cui Yuantu to the front yard living room.
