When the strong wind blew up, Li Twelve, with an inexplicable but strong sentimental emotion, left the east capital city from the upper east gate where he grew up, worked as an official, and spent more than 80% of his life.
But Dongdu City only stood firm in the strong wind.
In the next few days, the south wind blew gusts, but it did not bring enough water vapor between Huaishang and Jianghan. There were only a few light rains in the western part of Tojing and Kinki, which were supposed to be rainy in May.
At this time, Zhang Xing was still inspecting villages in Dongjun and Jiyin counties where he was responsible for inspection.
Different from before, more and more accompanying documents and staff were temporarily transferred from Hebei and various counties and counties. Many leaders also came together, and more and more items were investigated and recorded. This made the speed of inspecting the villages fluctuate and the pace of the inspections fluctuated. When it was slow, we only visited three or five villages a day, and when it was fast, we visited seven or eight. But after about ten days, we still visited seventy or eighty villages.
At the same time, the captains and deputy captains of the two counties who received the order, that is, generally speaking, the middle and high-level officials such as county magistrates and county captains, also went to the counties one after another to make supplements. Even the leaders of the two counties , there are also imitative behaviors.
There is actually a tendency to visit all the villages in the two counties in one summer. This is the so-called practice that leads to imitation.
On this day in late May, Zhang Dalongtou arrived at a village east of Jiyin City on the south bank of Jishui River. After completing his routine inspection, he wanted to go directly to the city, but unexpectedly, the wind suddenly picked up, and then there were dark clouds in the sky. It was densely covered, and there was faint thunder at the same time, just like a summer storm, so I simply stayed in the village with the others and took some shelter.
Moreover, because the village here is close to the county town and is adjacent to the official road, it has workshops inside and pavilions outside, which is quite different from ordinary villages. Naturally, Zhang Xing and others were allowed to enter a place near the road early. Within the building.
Between the wind and rain, the upstairs and downstairs are completely different. On the lower floor, there were mostly accompanying documents and staff, who were taking the opportunity to summarize the various situations in the village, causing it to become a mess.
To be honest, the voice was a bit loud, even over the sound of wind and rain outside, but it was understandable that many of these people were county officials, and Zhang Xing had promoted four or five people in succession in the past ten days. Transferred to his staff and clerical class, they couldn't wait to show their abilities.
It was much quieter on the upper floor. This does not mean that the leaders above and Zhang Dalongtou's confidants were so personable, or that they deliberately listened to the sounds below. On the contrary, these people were all carefully observing the rain outside. , chose to go upstairs just for this ridiculous reason.
The sound of rain and the sounds below formed an obvious and rhythmic symphony.
"This village is different from the previous places. No one here wants to be a soldier..."
"You have an industry, and you won't have to worry about food and clothing when you come back. Why do you have to work hard as a soldier?"
"First ask if it is true, and then why is it so? Who told you that no one here wants to be a soldier?"
"I asked personally and checked the records of seven or eight families who want to be demobilized. They are all willing to let people come back, including several wealthy families, and they are not willing to let their children serve in the army."
"Then do you know how many of these two are serving as sergeants in the gang, apart from those who were demobilized this time?"
"How many?"
"Forty-seven! Thirty-nine of them are serving as regular soldiers in Hebei, and they all joined the army themselves!"
"How can it be?"
"How is it impossible? These are street gangsters and brave knights. They are so-called brave people who are not afraid of death and seek fame. During the uprising, Jiyin was lagging behind. They didn't get the first wave of defections to the army, and they were already very anxious. But then the gang cheered up a little, and they joined the army one after another. Some people joined the army after Lishan, and some people went to join the army after crossing Hebei... This kind of people, who have no property at home and are unwilling to work hard for a long time, are mostly found in this kind of countryside. This is the place where the countryside meets the town. You, Brother Zhao Qi, are also a long-time official. How come you forgot about this?"
"But...but if that's the case, why are all the demobilized..."
"After experiencing Da Longtou's inspection of fifty villages in Dongjun, Jiyin has long understood a lot of truth, and has re-adjusted the list of retired soldiers early."
"I see...but there's no choice.
According to Bing's saying, does one who is called perseverant have perseverance? "
"That was the time to defend our hometown. Nowadays, most of the wars are in Hebei. For the people in the east, it is more like making meritorious services and seeking careers. At this time, they are not as brave as those city rangers."
"What Xiao Liu said makes sense."
"..."
"..."
Zhang Xing lowered his head and listened for a while, put down the ice-cold sour plum soup in his hand, and looked up again to look at the rain outside. His expression remained unchanged the whole time: "The rain has lightened up?"
"I'm afraid we can't expect too much from this rain." Chen Bin, who was standing by the window with his hands behind his hands, replied with a dark face. "In previous years, there were heavy rains that lasted for ten to twenty days, but now it only rains intermittently for two or three times. Most of them are just light rains that can't bring up water and can't wet the soil. I'm afraid there will be a real reduction in production during the autumn harvest."
"Actually, it's not that serious." Xie Minghe advised from the side. "I asked specifically a few days ago. The locals said that in previous years, waterlogging would be drained after the May rains. Even if there is a drought this time, it is not a major disaster. In what year are all good weather? It's just commonplace. And we also see it these days. Here, the people in Dongjun and Jiyin are working hard to save food. Although there was new millet last year, they were unwilling to eat it. I will definitely be able to survive it when the time comes."
"That's not what you said." Yan Qing, who had obviously restrained himself a lot since being pointed out by Zhang Xing last time, interjected. "There were no wars in the past years, but now the world is in chaos. Moreover, our territory is limited after all, and we have fought many wars. We basically have no warehousing. In addition, we have no way or the ability to learn how to confine and control the victims like Bao Wei. So, to If the situation is not handled well, a small disaster can turn into a major one."
"That's what I mean." Chen Bin nodded immediately. "That's what I'm worried about."
"I don't know what will happen in Hebei," Dou Lide also added with a sad look on his face.
"According to the information passed back, Hebei is similar to here, but with timely water conservancy improvements, it is actually a little better. The Qilu area east of Juyeze has better rainfall. In Dengzhou, it can be said that the weather has been smooth this year. You all really Don't worry too much. No matter how difficult it is, can you still be sad about the past two years?" Xie Minghe blurted out, but he was curious for a moment. "Chief Dou, you can also see these messages, and you must have read them specifically, but you don't make any judgments? Didn't you tell me several times in Hebei that you know how to farm since you were a child? Are you still lying?"
"It's not cheating, it's just that I haven't participated in farming for a long time." Dou Lide rarely blushed. "Working in the fields was indispensable in my early years, but after I became a county official, it became less common. How much more so now?"
Xie Minghe nodded, noncommittal. Ma Wei, who never had much to say on such topics, turned his head curiously and looked over. Even the leaders Xu Dalang, Wang Wulang, and Zhai Qian who were sitting next to him also took the opportunity to look at them. I looked at this person and didn't know what he was thinking.
"You still have to take precautions as much as possible." Zhang Xing responded seriously. "If it's still not appropriate to wait until the May rain period has passed, then even if it's too late, we might as well renovate the small water conservancy projects around Jishui. It would be better if it can be slowed down a little bit."
"That's all it can do." Chen Bin sighed, worried. "But I'm still afraid of war."
"If it really happens, there's no way to avoid it." Zhang Xing answered calmly. "Just do our part."
Ma Wei asked for words.
However, at this moment, as the sound of rain at the beginning gradually fell with the momentum of the rain, the sound of arguments on the floor below surfaced again, and it was obviously high-pitched. Everyone stopped and listened together.
"This is actually a good thing."
"This...can this be a good thing?"
"Think about it, for two li of this kind of village, its tax is actually equivalent to ten li of an ordinary village. And we all know how much trouble these market wanderers will cause to the village if they stay here, and those who have the heart to make a permanent profit Wouldn’t it be inconvenient to leave the people behind to produce and centrally organize the rangers to join the army?”
"I always feel like something is wrong."
"Of course not... Xiao Liu is only talking about the things in these two areas at the moment, but can the things in these two areas be generalized? Next to the official road, close to the city, etc.? Most rural villages, You still have to use your previous experience.”
"Um..."
"and,
This situation of being from the east and joining the army in Hebei is only temporary. In the future, there will be more territory and the situation will definitely be more complicated. "
"That's right. It's not complicated. I just say that it's more powerful to have a permanent guard to protect your hometown. So why don't we stop guarding here in the Eastern Territory?"
"What you two said, don't you think that there is only one rule for selecting soldiers in the gang, it's either this or that? Why can't we separate the groups into different categories and design a set of paperwork specifically for this kind of village to make a specific law?"
"You have violated a huge taboo."
"Not bad...Xiao Liu is still young."
"As long as there are more categories for things like laws and regulations, we will have to work several times harder at each level, but it's just us working hard. The most important thing is that as long as there are new categories, in practice, they will often be It has become a place for wealthy and powerful families to take advantage of, and it has also become a loophole for many officials to collude with wealthy families."
"Does it mean that there were no loopholes in the previous land recruitment system? Will wealthy and powerful families stop colluding with officials?"
"Of course there is collusion, but in the final analysis, under the system of land granting and land equalization, the corresponding system is definitely the system of fair recruitment based on land property... Dalongtou has also said these days that the main thing we want is fairness, fair taxation and fair corvee work. Well, you can win people's hearts, but now you have added an extra category, and you only choose the market rangers, without touching the workshops and merchants. From the other side, it is unfair to count them? Especially, how to delineate which places are counted? In such a combination of urban and rural areas? How can we identify who are the scoundrels in the market?"
"this..."
"Isn't that true? With one strike, a good man who wants to stay at home will be regarded as a scoundrel and sent to the army just because his wife and daughter are beautiful."
"..."
"Xiao Liu, don't be discouraged. Of course I know you have good intentions, and in this kind of place, the rangers in the city prefer to gain fame. Just selecting them is called killing two birds with one stone, but the law cannot only consider the benefits and ignore it. impact and practical implementation difficulties.”
The rain has become lighter, the clouds have dispersed significantly, and the view has become clearer.
Listening to the conversation downstairs, Cui Suchen made a formal request to Zhang Xing: "Longtou, I think this experienced county official below can be promoted a little so that I can consult with him when revising laws. He should do the paperwork himself. He’s also quite experienced.”
Zhang Xing nodded: "Actually, both of them can be promoted. The mature one has more experience and knows the complexity and dangers below. The young one is also good. He can see the specific situation at the junction of urban and rural areas, and then dare to propose New methods should be encouraged...Whether they work or not is another matter and can be discussed again, but having such people is better than being lifeless."
Several people nodded.
Xie Minghe, on the other hand, still couldn't help but said: "If you weren't upstairs, how could one of these two be so mature and the other so eager to try?"
Everyone laughed, but soon, Ma Wei suddenly spoke seriously: "I just talked about farming, of course I don't know anything, but listening to your words, I actually have a big worry, that is, even if we are doing well in the Eastern Territory , can survive this moderate drought, but other places, especially Huaixi, are in chaos, and the Du Po Formation cannot control the situation at all. It is one thing to ask for support from us when the time comes. Huaixi How should we deal with the massive influx of disaster victims simply out of control?"
This is indeed an important topic.
"Du Pozhen is too powerful and ambitious. He relied on the power of the Huaiyou Alliance to encircle the six counties of Huaixi and swallow him up. He also threw the Fu Bo Stone out for the sake of What, do you really think everyone doesn’t understand?" Chen Bin simply said qualitatively. "Now that he's choked, it's just that he brought it upon himself, and it exposed his true abilities."
"It's all your own fault." Yan Qing frowned. "It doesn't matter if they want to hurt us and hurt us. The key is that they are not willing to give us a happy explanation. They came over when the decision was made before and pretended to be like a big boss. When they returned to Huaixi, they only talked about the Huaiyou League and sent them there. All the people were just settled in Huankou or something by him, and they won’t get a happy response this time.”
"If that's the case, then why do we still have to keep the Huaiyou Alliance?" Dou Lide asked seriously. "How about cutting it out?
As for the mess that is Huaixi, let him fend for himself. We really don't need to suffer through this for a little fame. "
Hearing this, many leaders hesitated to speak.
"Because the bones are broken and the tendons are connected." Xu Dalang suddenly said quietly from the side. "Everything has its origins, and it is not impossible to break them off. But what do Fu Boshi, Wang Xiongdan, and Ma Ping'er say? That Huaixi camp is so useful, should it be sent back? Also, like Chang Fu and Yan It's okay for the two leaders Qing to just live in Liang County. What about the other internal servants, the Dangshan Army, and Meng Tiegui? There are many leaders and some territories in the south that go deep into Huaixi? The most important thing is the two Wu Leader, they are in Huaixi now, why? It's not impossible to cut them off, but it will cause trouble." Wang Xiongdan, who was standing at the top of the stairs, said nothing.
"The key is that the position of leader of the rebel army cannot be thrown away!" Chen Bin emphasized again. "Even if they are separated, it must be because they disobeyed orders, rebelled and left our Deposed Dragon Gang, rather than us taking the initiative to kill them."
"That's the truth." Xie Minghe emphasized. "Not to mention that the Huaiyou League was originally founded by Zhang Longtou, why should we give it to him?"
Zhang Xing still sat still, thoughtful.
It's not that he suddenly became taciturn or stupid after just ten days. He knew very well what the people here and downstairs were thinking and why they said what they said.
Although Chen Bin, Xie Minghe, and Cui Suchen have differences in their style of conduct and personal philosophy, they are all people with higher backgrounds, sufficient aristocratic education, and even senior bureaucratic experience. They mostly start from the overall situation and think about the overall situation and development.
However, the other leaders are actually somewhat incompatible with them, or to be more precise, they are dissatisfied with them. Their arrogance, arrogance, and self-preservation also make it difficult for them to take the initiative to cater to these leaders.
Although people on both sides were talking about the same thing, they were always at a loss for words. Even if Yan Qing learned his lesson and tried to bridge the gap, it had no effect.
Xu Dalang seemed to have a thorough analysis, but he was still habitually speaking for the locals. He only talked about these peripheral organizations, but did not talk about the economic problems of Dongjun and Jiyin, two developed commercial areas. Huaixi Six Is it true that the county’s specialty products, raw materials, and transportation between Huan River and Huai River are no longer relied on?
If nothing else, how do the lacquerware workshops in this Guandaoside village, which is so prosperous that it is divided into two li, maintain operation? Where does the sour plum in the sour plum soup come from?
Not to mention, according to the investigation these days, in the past six months, the Huaiyou League has swept through Huaixi from the beginning, but later became obviously weak, so that it was counterattacked by local powerful and local officials, making Huaixi a mess. Although it formed a huge factor of military and political instability, it also caused a wave of migration. Many strong men, craftsmen, and merchants in the six counties dispersed. Most of them went to Dongdu, and not to Xiangfan. There are also many people who go to the mountainous areas in western Huainan, but there are also many people who come to the east.
These people are a great asset to the two counties that have survived the first batch of wars and stabilized.
In addition, there are two people who are also special at first glance.
Ma Wei was okay, he was obviously observing everyone, but Dou Lide was a little embarrassed. In Hebei, he was like a fish in water, he could eat up, down, left, and right, and everyone around him really relied on him. But once he arrived in the East, the topic changed, and he turned into a fish that landed on the beach. He really couldn't be relied on anywhere, and everyone was too lazy to pay attention to him.
As for the problem, Zhang Xing certainly knows the current situation and the new problems.
The response to the possible drought, the intervention in the situation in Huaixi, and the eternal organizational construction...that is, the internal and legitimate issues that everyone is deliberately avoiding today are all in front of us, and none of them are indispensable.
Moreover, Zhang Dalongtou has long been concerned about these things.
However, these days of visits, the accumulation of a large amount of data, and the knowledge of so-called local customs made him feel more and more complex about people and things.
The so-called class, region, economy, and folk traditions all exist objectively, and all of them are correct, but none of them seems to be able to completely explain everything. They are more like threads and tangles.
Together they form this complex society.
And this is just a rural area. Cities, commercial and transportation settlements, and military strongholds must have their own set of things.
People-to-people issues within organizations are more complicated because all problems are essentially people issues.
Of course, it is still the same sentence, no matter how difficult it is, we can never stop the pace of progress.
"Wang Xiong's birthday."
As the rain stopped outside, many people went out to catch their breath. Zhang Xing came back to his senses and looked directly at one of them.
"My subordinate is here." Wang Xiongdan's heart skipped a beat and he quickly handed over his hand.
"Give you a chance to be a filial son." Zhang Xing ordered sternly. "It also gives me a chance to be a good and loyal brother. You go there in person and tell him everything about the disputes within the gang, and then tell him that the Huaiyou Alliance is his plate. I agree, he wants to do big things, and I am willing to give him a chance, but the opportunity will not always be there. I will give him ten days. No matter how difficult he is or what complicated ideas he has, he will come to Jiyin immediately and talk to him face to face. I made it clear that as long as we come and talk face to face, we are a family and everything can be easily discussed. But if we don’t come, we won’t have to say anything when we meet again!”
Wang Xiongdan answered with difficulty and went downstairs.
"That's right." Zhang Xing suddenly called out to the other party again. "By the way, ask him for me. His cultivation is so poor that he can't even condense elixirs to save his life, but he has always been able to stay in Huankou. Why is Xuzhou Sima Zheng thinking about going to Langya to pry so many people, but not thinking about flying there? The chief helmsman of Huankou Huaiyou League, killed him with one knife?"
Wang Xiongdan was stunned, handed over his hand again, and hurried away.
The rest of the people looked complicated and each had their own thoughts.
Leader Zhang Dalong watched the other party go downstairs and hurried away with his horses, but he no longer hesitated. Instead, he drank the iced sour plum soup on the table in one gulp, then stood up and looked around:
"Everyone, since we walked from Baima to Jiyin one village after another, if we still avoid others, it will inevitably look artificial. On the other hand, we are coming so down-to-earth, but there is no need to avoid anything. Now that the rain has stopped, Then follow me into Jiyin City and meet the gang brothers in the city!"
As soon as these words came out, many people were relieved, but immediately felt inexplicably excited. Some people were excited for a while, but immediately became nervous.
Even in the noisy downstairs, one could clearly hear the sudden confusion of footsteps, and then suddenly became quiet.
In the afternoon, as Zhang Xing and his party turned to Jiyin City in a mighty manner, under the sunshine after the rain, seven or eight leaders who had gathered under various excuses in the previous ten days rushed straight into Jiyin City where they were immediately rewarded. Cangcheng, came to see Li Shu who was deep in thought and silent.
The pressure instantly came to Li Longtou.
PS: Thanks to the new leader, I will become Master Zhao Gao step by step! The master will get rich in the New Year, and the other masters will also get rich!
