Zhang Xing's words made most of his followers feel puzzled... Since ancient times, how can any people not be afraid of officials or soldiers? Especially since this place was the hardest-hit area by the Three Conquests of Dongyi more than two years ago, so what happened to the people hiding when dozens of riders gathered together?
But at this moment, Xu Shiying inexplicably reined in his horse and took two steps back.
Everyone turned back to look at Zhang Xing's indifferent gaze. Xu Dalang could only bite the bullet and answer: "I dare not forget the teachings of my third brother. If Dongjun is like this, I will not be able to escape my punishment."
Obviously, others don't know, but this Xu Dalang Benlang clearly remembers the motivation and process of his rebellion described by someone when they robbed the Queen Luan Jia that day - this leader was because of a man who quickly conquered Dongyi during the second expedition. The disappeared village really disappeared during the Three Expeditions, so he abandoned his position as the prefect of Wu'an in anger and went back to kill Zhang Han.
This person rebelled for this reason.
But Zhang Xing just glanced at the other party, then turned back and remained silent.
"I don't know what riddle you two are talking about, but if it refers to the relationship between the local people and the Deposed Dragon Gang, we who are left behind in Henan are not trying our best, I have something else to say." Fang Yanlang is certainly not shy. Speaking coldly. "If Hebei hadn't used troops frequently and demanded excessive amounts of money, why would the people be like this? Military supplies, money, food, soldiers and laborers, aren't they all Hebei forced us to provide?"
Zhang Xing nodded and finally spoke: "What the leader said makes sense, so we need to control the situation and reduce the burden on the people."
Fang Yanlang was speechless.
"Since ancient times, most people are slow and timid, and they are often damaged by the clever and the strong. Therefore, it is normal to be frightened by the knights... I think that the leader does not need to think too much about this. Xie Minghe hesitated for a moment and clearly expressed his feelings. "As for us, it is enough for us to feel pity for them after seeing their hard work and panic, and then try our best to protect them when making political strategies."
This is common sense.
"Brother Xie's reasoning is fine, but I think we can do better." Zhang Xing answered seriously.
"Longtou." Ma Wei also said seriously. "Even if you have thousands of thoughts, whether good or bad, you must first have the strength to do anything. Moreover, there are so many people in the world who have delayed more things because of the unhappiness of one moment and one place. What do more people mean? A career is a career, and an ambition is an ambition."
This is about the interests and losses based on the objective development laws of things.
Zhang Xing nodded: "This cannot be refuted at all."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
But Zhang Dalong shook his head again: "I understand the principles and the pros and cons, but I still feel unhappy."
The others were helpless, but almost all looked at Xu Shiying and Fang Yanlang.
Not to mention Xu Shiying, even though Fang Yanlang's expression remained unchanged at this time, he was a little nervous inside... He was bold and dared to criticize in front of his face because the Deposed Dragon Gang never allowed a leader to speak. Everyone always Reasonable, but if this Zhang Longtou is unreasonable and just says "unhappy", he will have no strength to maintain.
Similarly, when he was facing the topic of Li Shu just now, he did not dare to hide a word, but when he got away from the topic, he became unruly and unruly. It was precisely because he believed that Zhang Xing may not be honest about the issue of Li Shu. To be reasonable, one should be reasonable in other places...but things turned out to be the other way around.
The thought of this makes me uneasy.
"Long Tou, venting your anger on others will not help." It was Ma Wei who came to persuade him seriously. "After this incident, Xu Dalang is so timid and knows the opportunity. If he is allowed to do things again, it will be more effective."
Zhang Xing smiled and glanced at Xu Shiying again, seeming to suppress Wu Mingye's anger.
Xu Shiying did not dare to hesitate any longer, and immediately stepped forward and handed over his hand: "Third brother, I am really ashamed of this matter, and it is really my fault. I will go to the field to summon people, and third brother will wait in the village for a while."
"No need." Zhang Xing waved his hand, put away his smile, reined in his horse and walked forward slowly. "Brother Xie and Ma Shengqi went to the village to stay for a while to provide support. Xu Dalang and I went to find someone... Everything was done by others, bad things were done by others, embarrassing things were done by others, it was so dirty and tiring When you leave things to others to do,
After a long time, I thought I was a saint who owed nothing! Since I am determined to be the serious core of the Deposed Dragon Gang, I should have the confidence to recognize everyone inside and outside the Deposed Dragon Gang. The good things are done by me and everyone, and no one can take them away. The bad things are also the responsibility of me and everyone. , and a share must be counted on me! "
The people around him followed him on horseback. Fang Yanlang's expression changed drastically when he heard it halfway. Xu Shiying was really relieved when he heard it at the end. Ma Wei and Xie Minghe were a little startled.
At this time, everyone's thoughts were not on the same line at all.
Things were not that simple. The local chief took the initiative to meet them. With his help, Zhang Xing, who claimed to be the local leader from Hebei Province, quickly summoned all the seventeen family members and led them back to the village on horseback. .
At this time, Wang Xiongdan and others had gathered under a tree in front of the threshing floor in the village. They gathered the horses and tied them up, set up a few tables and chairs, and sent out knights for a brief safety inspection.
Zhang Xing was naturally too lazy to pay attention to this. He picked up a stool and sat down next to the big stone roller under the tree. He took a pen and paper and put it on the roller. Then he took a list from Wang Xiongdan and looked at it seriously. He said to a woman who put a sleeping child in a basket: "Sister-in-law Wei, don't worry, it's not that your boss is gone, your boss is fine, it's because the boss in the gang messed around and made it It’s over. We have over-numbered troops. We have no choice but to make your boss come home.”
"Come home...what do you mean? What happened?" The sweat on the woman's body had already disappeared in the exceptionally cool air of her subordinates, so that her withered hair was condensed on her forehead, but she was obviously still a little agitated after hearing the words. Timid and confused.
"It's just that Xu Dalang committed a crime and is going to Hebei. Your head is implicated and can no longer serve as a soldier to defend the city under Xu Dalang. You have to go home and farm the land honestly." Zhang Xing continued.
The woman thought about it seriously and then asked, "Does it mean that my boss is fine, but he is not a soldier and has to go home?"
"That's what it means."
The woman thought about it again, but she immediately shed tears and quickly wiped them away: "That's great..."
As he said that, he actually knelt down in gratitude.
Zhang Xing was stunned for a moment, and actually forgot to help the other person, but Wang Xiongdan was quick and grabbed him with one hand to help him up.
At this time, Zhang Xingfang asked back, but he was determined to make it clear to the other party: "Your head is under Xu Dalang, so you can give your family half an additional share of the land. When you come back, this will be gone next year. At most, because he served for two years, In the year, five more acres of land will be left. Moreover, as the Dragon Gang's territory expands in the future, they will also distribute iron pots and furniture to the families of soldiers. You are gone. If you continue to perform meritorious service, the chance of moving to Kuanxiang will be high. It’s gone…are you still so happy?”
"Then... if the head of the house doesn't come back, I can only rent most of the land to Mr. Xu from the village. It's better to have five more acres of land cultivated by someone else." The woman answered carefully holding the basket on her back with tears that had not yet tightened. "I don't even dare to think about Kuanxiang. It would be better if the folks from the countryside are always here."
Zhang Xing nodded and began to record this statement: "I see... Is there any difficulty in your family? This person is from Xu Dalang's family. He came here specially because he was afraid that many people in the army would be scattered temporarily and there would be no one at home. Ansheng, if there is any trouble... as long as it is a serious problem, he will try his best to solve it."
As he said that, he pointed at Xu Shiying.
"My family really doesn't have..." The woman thought for a moment and answered seriously. "Everything will be fine if the boss comes back."
Zhang Xing could only nod, but he was worried: "Sister-in-law Wei, I will go with you to your home and look at the pots and pans. If there are any missing ones, ask Xu Dalang's family to make up some for you. His family has a lot of property. , I am about to move, there is no point in staying in Henan."
The woman was obviously uneasy, but she didn't dare to refuse, so she could only get up and walk.
Xu Shiying wanted to follow, but Zhang Xing turned around and pointed at Shi Nianzi and ordered: "You continue to explain here, the records should be recorded... I will check when you come back."
Xu Shiying didn't dare to neglect, so she sat down next to Shi Nianzi, called the next person, and then continued to spread out the paper and pen to take notes while asking questions.
After a moment on the other side, Zhang Xing arrived at Wei's house and sighed before even entering the door: "Sister-in-law Wei, how do you say there are no difficulties at home? You
The house's wing has been dilapidated for a long time, and the thatch on it has obviously been soaked by the spring rain. It's time to replace it. "
"It's time to change, but if the head of the house doesn't come back, the wing is of no use. If the head of the house comes back, won't it only take a few days? What's the matter, do you have to work for the officials?" Sister-in-law Wei hurriedly pressed on. Basket explanation.
Zhang Xing became increasingly speechless.
After entering the house, although there was no shortage of salt, there was also little vinegar. The earthenware pots were usable, but they were old and damaged. There was some new millet from last year, but they only dared to eat old rice. There was a livestock pen in the main room, but they said that the husband was not at home. , I didn’t dare to leave the donkey alone, and only let it go to my mother’s brother’s house in Houcun... As the saying goes, difficulties are everywhere, and if there is no difficulty, there is no difficulty at all, because all difficulties are just the words " It’s not a problem for the head of the family to come back.”
Zhang Xing walked around for a long time, and could only write it down in his mind, and then turned around helplessly and came out.
Then when he returned to the big tree in the middle of the village, he met an old man in his forties or fifties who carefully whispered to Xu Dalang:
"I have to talk about the difficulty. My third grandson is 12 years old. According to the rules of the deposed dragon gang, after this autumn, he must go to the city to build a foundation and gain enlightenment. He will stay there for three months. Otherwise, he will be fined and taxed. You also need to prepare some dry food... It was half a labor, and it was just about the time when it was needed, but it suddenly became useless. Can you ask the leaders to give him a reward and not let him go?"
Xu Dalang looked back at Zhang Xing and replied seriously: "No, if you don't go, you will be fined. And it will become more and more strict in the future. You may even be fined, divided into land, or added to the labor force."
The old man panicked and quickly waved his hand: "Then there will be no problem."
Zhang Xing had no expression on his face.
In this way, the vigilance was dispelled, and within half an hour, all seventeen families of retired soldiers were notified. They also took advantage of the situation and took a look at the conditions of seventeen farmers' families with completely different populations, rich and poor.
Even Xie Minghe and Ma Wei were sent to see the village's layout, water conservancy, etc.
Fang Yanlang was sent to inquire about the supply of groceries in the village.
Frankly speaking, contrary to what Zhang thought, most people are not disappointed when their husbands or sons retire, because in rural areas, strong labor is obviously regarded as the most valuable asset. At the same time, as many people have reminded, the three conscriptions that have been carried out intermittently for several years have caused the people in the East to have a huge and unanimous collective fear of labor and military service. Even in the past two years, during the deposed dragon Helping those who served as soldiers and laborers received obvious rewards, but this traumatic perception still cannot be erased.
Of course, there are two exceptions.
One is a relatively large family. Not only does his family take care of all the land allocated to them, but it also uses a relatively low land rent to rent other people's land that is unable to cultivate their own land. At the same time, it also takes in several farmland. A strong man who escaped from Huaixi hired them to plow the fields. This family took the initiative to send their younger son to serve as a soldier and join the Deposed Dragon Gang. The eldest son of his family also successfully became the new chief after the younger son became the corps leader.
This is basically the prototype of a powerful family. They are afraid that they will not be able to maintain their "gang" relationship.
The other is a typical local rogue. He is full of energy on weekdays and has nothing to do. He eats, drinks, whores and gambles. He has the style of Leader Liu, the black stick, so the two brothers and two sisters-in-law who have separated are afraid of his return.
"These two don't need to retire... The younger brother of the liangchang followed Xu Dalang to the Hebei front line, and the gangster was sent to Liu Hei's camp." Zhang Xing recorded these observations on a stone roller without raising his head. Ordered. "But the number of retired people cannot be changed. We will make adjustments later and continue to select positions for retirement... Now prepare the horses and prepare to go to the next Zhuangzi. We will go to five Zhuangzi today... Wang Xiongdan, please stay and ask about that A few people who escaped from Huaixi, what is the situation in Huaixi? After asking, you can catch up with us."
Everyone originally had various thoughts and ideas.
For example, Fang Yanlang wanted to muster up the courage to ridicule Zhang Xing for his self-righteous pity. Ma Wei was just curious and wanted to ask Zhang Xing whether there was any deeper consideration in forcing the foundation to be built. Xu Shiying saw Zhang Xing entering work The state became more and more relaxed. Xie Minghe wanted to write another poem and at this moment he was speechless.
After a while, Fang Yanlang came to ask seriously: "Does Zhang Longtou really want to go through hundreds of villages in Dongjun?"
"No." Zhang Xing replied earnestly. "How can I have that time? In two days, the turmoil over Xu Dalang will subside, and the county magistrates will be asked to go down and deal with this kind of thing separately. Let's get rid of this matter together..."
Hearing this, everyone felt relieved, but soon became stunned again.
"I only plan to spend twenty days to visit a hundred villages, so it will be a worthwhile trip." Zhang Dalongtou continued to speak sincerely.
Fang Yanlang was helpless and continued to ask: "Then I have to follow him to complete a hundred villages? This must be Xu Dalang's fault, and it is also Dongjun's fault. Jiyin is still in trouble."
"That's true." Zhang Xing thought for a while and responded calmly. "So the leader of the house can go back tomorrow... However, the one hundred villages I mentioned are not limited to Dongjun. At least fifty of them will fall in Jiyin, because I came out this time to do The inspectors are inspecting these two counties, and even the clerks from Baima are going to Jiyin."
Fang Yanlang nodded, but said magnanimously: "Longtou is here to inspect the place. As a post of a county, of course I have nothing to say, but even though I am here... no matter how bad Jiyin is, can it still be worse than Dongjun?"
With that said, he turned around to lead the horse, preparing to deal with the official errands that appeared out of nowhere on the road today.
The head of the household next to him who took the initiative to help feed and drink the horse heard the words "One county stays behind" and "Zhang Longtou". He was already stunned, but he actually forgot to take the initiative to help untie the horse.
After the seemingly nimble Fang Yanlang walked to the tree and took the horse, he couldn't bear it anymore and turned around again and asked: "Is this kind of thing... the so-called policy agenda of Zhang Longtou?"
"Of course not." Zhang Xing, who had just finished writing, stood up and smiled. "But if there is no such trip, how can we have a program? A program on paper or an empty platform? With such a trip, at least when we come up with a policy agenda, we can understand in our hearts what the situation might be like if this item falls in the village."
Fang Yanlang shook his head and nodded again: "I don't think this kind of thing is of much use, but I also think that doing this kind of thing is better than not doing it. Let's look at the leader's program."
After saying that, he got on his horse and walked slowly towards the entrance of the village.
Uncle Cao Huang frowned slightly, obviously confused.
Li Qingchen was helpless and tried to explain: "Zhongcheng, we need to look at things separately. One is to divide the territory occupied by the Dragon Gang rebels and that of our Wei Dynasty. The other is to clearly distinguish the roles of money and food, and it also needs to be divided into time periods. , now and after the disaster.”
"Let's talk about it in detail." Cao Lin put down his pen and sat upright.
"First of all, money should be distributed first." Li Twelve naturally tried his best to explain in detail. "The current situation of the Deposed Dragon Gang is very interesting. When they first started to revolt, they relied on the fairly abundant treasury they had just captured, so they had a lot of money but little food, and they also had plenty of ordnance. So at that time, money was a useless thing. Everything must be based on grain and cloth, but now they are gradually settling down. The grain has finally been produced for a season and is a little better. So there is a need for food and cloth in addition to grain and cloth. The ordnance is also aging, and they need to reorganize their efforts and collect military supplies. , in fact, now in the territory of the Deposed Dragon Gang, workshops, mines, and markets are gradually prospering, and large-scale business has begun to be done with Dongyi and Beidi... At this time, the importance of money gradually Come up.
"Now, if we take out the copper coins in the warehouse that are not used at all and have rotten ropes and distribute them to the people around us, the money will become worthless, and money is circulating, so it is natural It will overflow like water to the territory of the Deposed Dragon Gang, and then their workshops will be unable to make ends meet, their food will be snapped up, and the wealth accumulated by the leaders will not be worth it, forcing them to go back to the beginning. To the extent that food is controlled, public dissatisfaction will inevitably boil over."
Uncle Cao Huang thought about it seriously: "Although I don't understand it very well, I also know that your method has a meaning and meaning. I also made a note of it. Put the money at this time...and then, what about the grain? When will the grain be put out? Is it after the disaster appears?"
"Yes." Li Qingchen said sincerely. "Now that the Deposed Dragon Gang has money, they will release it to destroy their money; when the drought shows up and they have food, they will release it to make their food less valuable.
So precious, it will also attract people to eat. "
At this point, Li Qingchen's words became more serious: "Zhongcheng, the most important point is that whether it is releasing money or food, it is also the best way to control people's hearts. We can no longer let the hearts of people up and down the river drain away, and if we can take advantage of In order to calm people's hearts and give a slight blow to the Deposed Dragon Gang, we should not hesitate."
"That's it, Li Twelve Lang." Uncle Cao frowned slightly. "Personally, I feel that there is something wrong with your plan, and it may not necessarily be appropriate. However, since it is an explanation, and it is your suggestion, I am willing to have a serious meeting with others in Nanya tomorrow morning. It’s discussed.”
"That's good, that's good." Li Qingchen took a long breath and then paused for a moment. "But Zhongcheng, this is not something I thought about alone, nor was it something I thought about alone, it was something Qin Er and I conceived together."
"Qin Er?" Uncle Cao looked as if he was suddenly enlightened and nodded slightly. "Qin Er is also a reliable person... You two are stronger in Hebei than Luo Fang and Xue Er are in Guanzhong. They are obviously the chiefs of a county, but they can't suppress the people below."
"It's not their fault." Unexpectedly, Li Qingchen took the initiative to defend Luo Taibao and the others. "There are too many great clans in Guanzhong."
"You guys are all very nice." Uncle Cao smiled and did not respond to the topic. "Since you are here, you should go home and rest first. I will give you an answer at this time tomorrow."
Naturally, there was nothing to say about this efficiency. Li Qingchen nodded and said goodbye. Then he turned out of the black tower and came to the bottom of the tower. He suddenly realized something - there seemed to be fewer and fewer black ribbons on the black tower just now. , before our eyes, the once prosperous Jing'an Terrace was obviously withered.
But isn’t that a given?
PS: Happy New Year everyone, let’s continue to wish you a happy New Year!
