For the wealthy gentry households, the most important thing was naturally land. With land, there would be wealth and status. However, if there are not enough tenant farmers working hard, it will not be transformed into wealth and power. And manpower is not only the source of wealth, but also the guarantee of security: especially in counties like Yangshan, where Han and Yao are mixed, and where public security is chaotic, the law of the jungle is the norm. Neither individuals nor large households can count on the protection of the legal regime. They must Only by being armed can you protect your own interests.
In this way, manpower has become the foundation for each large household to survive. The Ouyang family is naturally no exception. For Ouyang Xi, collecting grain and levying taxes was particularly perfunctory, but this strong man was the lifeblood of his family. No wonder he quickly declined as soon as he heard the word "borrowing troops".
However, this was not the main reason for his refusal. In fact, Ouyang Xi still had doubts about whether this newly emerged "Song Dynasty" could gain a foothold in Yangshan.
Whether it is to suppress bandits or to suppress Yao, Ouyang Xi and the county have the same opinions. However, as the leader of a large gentry family in the county, he knew his role as a benchmark. As long as he agreed to "borrow troops", other large families would naturally regard him as surrendering to the "Great Song Dynasty", and many people would turn to Australia. Man, if he regains his lost ground in the future - it involves his reputation and the future of his family, he cannot make up his mind easily!
However, when he refused, he really couldn't speak out, because his family has always had a reputation in Yangshan for being "anxious to justice and righteous"--if he didn't stand up for the current situation in Yangshan County, he really couldn't speak out.
"Now Mr. Yangshan also knows the situation. Although Sun Dabiao, Feng Haijiao and others have been eliminated, the bandits are not at peace, and everyone in the county is in danger. What's more, although the rebellion caused by Badai Yao has subsided, it is still a hidden danger - Mr. How can the first household in Yangshan sit idly by and ignore such important matters that concern Sangzi?"
"Non-students just sit back and watch. In fact, the strong men in the student village are all stupid people, and they still have some blood to defend their hometown. If they are asked to go to war, I am afraid it will be just a waste of food and salary..." Ouyang Xi continued to refuse.
"The student also served as a county magistrate in Yangshan for several years. At that time, my brother Ouyang Da led the Xiangyong to fight the bandits several times. He personally served as the target, and he was actually the general of our Yangshan city. The Xiangyong under his command even sacrificed his life. If you die, wearing a halberd, how can you be a stupid people?" Peng Shou'an did not allow him to dodge, and exposed his excuses face to face.
Ouyang Xi looked embarrassed - he had forgotten that the other party was the county magistrate not long ago.
Peng Shou'an solemnly said: "Old sir! My student Yu Daming is a three-year official; in the Senate, he is just an 'advisor' outside the order. What does the stability of Yangshan and the well-being of the people have to do with me?" I have come here to borrow troops to bring peace to the people of Yangshan! I hope you will think twice!"
This vaguely meant to blame Ouyang Xi for only caring about his family and not caring about everyone else. It made him somewhat embarrassed, and it did make the old man shaken.
The Ouyang family was not hypocritical about Yangshan's "public eagerness for justice", otherwise he would not have presided over the renovation of the reading desk, let alone organized Xiangyong to fight for the county many times. Historically, in Yangshan County, bandit intrusions and Yao people riots occurred one after another in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. The Ouyang family always dispatched local warriors to participate in the war. Ouyang Xi's son Ouyang Da died in the early Qing Dynasty while resisting bandit siege. .
Ouyang Xi pondered for a moment and said in a low voice: "If I don't want to borrow troops, it's because the matter is serious. Master Peng! You and I have known each other for many years and we trust each other. Even if you become an Australian official now, I won't see you. Foreign: It is said that Feng Haijiao and others have been granted titles by the Ming Dynasty. If I openly become an enemy to them, wouldn’t I go to fight against the officers and soldiers?”
When Peng Shou'an saw that he had said what was in his heart, he knew that the matter was easy to handle, so he said: "I think the old man knows very well who Sun Dabiao and Feng Haijiao are. Such people can also be officials, it's really like thunder in a clay cauldron!" He saw Ouyang Xi was still hesitating, so he whispered again, "This time the county magistrate asked me to borrow troops, not send them."
Ouyang Xi was shocked and said, "How can you say this?"
"County Magistrate Piper said that you have always been the number one gentry in Yangshan, and you are also a civil servant. There must be many taboos in cooperating with the county, and there must be many excuses - she doesn't blame you for this."
"Thank you, Mr. Pi, for your understanding!" Ouyang Xi said hurriedly.
"You're welcome." Peng Shou'an continued, "Now Magistrate Pi has said that you are not required to send troops to help in the suppression in the name of Ouyang Jiayong. All you need is fifty strong men from your family - weapons, food, and wages will all be prepared by the county. , and we don’t want the Ouyang family to take charge of it - can we still make such a clear statement?"
This made his words clear. Ouyang Xi felt that if he could no longer shirk his words, he would have to drink a toast instead of eating as a penalty.
He glanced at Peng Shou'an and felt a little confused. He didn't believe that a woman could come up with such an idea. It was probably Peng Shou'an's idea. However, Peng made no achievements in politics in Yangshan, and suffered a big defeat when he assisted the Australian County Magistrate Wang. On the contrary, this female County Magistrate Kun came and made only one move, but the whole game was saved in an instant. Ouyang Xi couldn't help but have some doubts: Could there be some expert in the county giving secret guidance?
However, this method is appropriate. Although his family has a strong man, after all, he is not led by the Ouyang family. There is room for evasion when the Ming Dynasty officials come back. If he does not come back, his family will have made a contribution to the Senate.
"Let me discuss this matter with my son." Ouyang Xi said, "I will give you a reply tomorrow."
"What? Did he agree?" Pinda asked.
"Although we missed, we're not far off." Peng Shou'an was quite pleased with himself.
Binda frowned, and You Ciren said: "Lao Peng, don't drag the text and talk like a human being!"
"Yes, yes," Peng Shou'an was in a good mood and didn't care. "Master Ouyang said that he would discuss it with his son and reply tomorrow - this is just for caution. The matter has been decided."
"So, he has already agreed?" Pinda said.
"Exactly," Peng Shou'an nodded, "Speaking of which, the county magistrate's idea is better..."
Their original plan was to ask large households from all over the country to organize organized troops to send out local warriors to assist in the battle. Firstly, this would save money. Secondly, the combat effectiveness of the local warriors was largely based on "knowledge between superiors and subordinates."
But Peng Shou'an visited several large households. Although each household was very polite and it was easy to talk about "reasonable burden", when it came to borrowing Xiang Yong, they all hesitated. After hitting a snag, Pinda asked Peng Shou'an to change his tune: only a strong man, not a name.
"These rich people are just afraid that we are not 'orthodox'. They are afraid that one day the officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty will come back and others will make a fuss about them and say that they are 'attached to thieves'. In this case, we will calm their hearts... "
"In this case, wouldn't we be weaker in terms of momentum..." You Ciren had some doubts.
"The Ming Dynasty has ruled in Yangshan for nearly three hundred years, and orthodox ideas are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. We are newcomers. The big families have never seen us defeat the Ming army with their own eyes, so it is normal to have doubts." Finda said, "We are going to do it now. They came forward and showed their banners to help us, but of course they refused."
So the plan was adjusted to what it is now: as long as each family produces strong men, they don't need to be organized into a team.
"...Actually, this is fine. The rural warriors they have brought out from the establishment are all led by their own people. Their combat effectiveness may not be bad, but we can't get involved." You Ciren said, "We will wait until they are here Anyone who is paid here and educated for a year and a half is ours. Even if it is a top gentry like Ouyang Xi, if he gives us his fifty strong men, he will no longer belong to his family in the future."
So this "Zheng Fa Xiang Yong" became "Zheng Ding". For the big families, this nominal change made them relieved, especially Ouyang Xi's family was the first to agree to the "Zheng Ding", and even more It has set an example. Soon, Peng Shou'an recruited 400 young men from more than a dozen "reputable" gentry and large clan households listed in advance. The collection rate of reasonable burdens has also been rising, and soon reached more than 65%. The county government of Yangshan County in Song Dynasty, which was dying due to lack of troops and food, miraculously recovered.
Someone in Panda's hands had food, so he immediately organized his team. The recruited strong men were eliminated from some of the old and weak, and the selected more than 260 people, 100 Yao Ding from Yonghua, and the original National Army were mixed together, and finally five squadrons were formed. Each squadron is organized into a rifle squad, and the rest of the soldiers use spears and swords. He also dug out all the armors in stock in the county treasury and selected more than ten pairs of iron armors that were suitable for use. He also distributed cotton cloth from the county treasury to women to beat them firmly and wadding them into cotton armor. Form a fully armored squad for each squadron.
After eliminating the old and weak, You Ciren also organized them into a reserve squadron for county defense.
Most of the young men recruited from powerful families had served as rural warriors for many years. Although they had not received much formal training, they had some experience in fighting and were quite powerful. After reorganizing the equipment, the military power became great for a while. .
Pinda officially appointed Luo Yiming as the mayor of Dalangwei and arranged for two full squadrons to be stationed there. Its main tasks are to protect Dalangwei and monitor Yonghua Yao District. Once something happens in Yonghua Yao District or nearby areas, Luo Yiming himself has mobile troops to deal with it at any time without waiting for the county to allocate troops to him. It's equivalent to having one more attack position.
Other squadrons took turns escorting Peng Shou'an out to "visit guests" and levied reasonable burdens from village to village; squadrons that did not have the task of "visiting guests" either guarded the county or patrolled various roads in the county to collect loose bandits.
You Ciren is in charge of dispatching, coordinating the patrol and settlement work of each squadron, ensuring that National Army squadrons patrol the roads every day, focusing on ensuring the safety of transportation nodes and important market towns in the county. Since he now has abundant troops, in addition to the reserve squadron, he always has 1 or 2 squadrons on standby in the county, ready to set off at any time.
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Next update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Chapter 458
