The sudden departure of the Lei family did not seem to bring much shock to Acheng.
It may be that the Lei family's preparations were in place and they were deceived in advance. Even some families who later moved to Acheng did not feel that the Lei family's action was strange.
Except for some of the children of the Lei family who made decisions, no one knew the real purpose of the Lei family going to Liaocheng. Even the women whose mother-in-law entered the Lei family did not know the real purpose of the Lei family's action.
Because everyone knows that the emperor's northern expedition, the fourth master of the Lei family, Reid, was instrumental in controlling the Grand Canal waterway, and had earlier helped Jiedushi Li Chongjin to capture the Tianping Army. Li Chongjin recruited the Tianping Army in the name of supporting the emperor, but everyone also They all understand it tacitly.
The Lei family and even Reid played an important role. If the court wanted to reuse them, they should also reward the Lei family. The Fourth Master Lei, who was originally the governor of Liaocheng Yizhou, is afraid that he will take a step forward in his title.
Although the governor has not been admitted to the Central Committee or the inner court, he still belongs to the local officials. If according to the practice of past dynasties, if Red is awarded a title, the elders and ancestors of the family will also be awarded the title posthumously. As a large family in Dongping County, the Lei family received the emperor's gift from Fourth Master Lei, and it was definitely necessary for the whole family to meet the emperor to express gratitude.
This is a great honor!
Of course, no one knew that this was the Lei family's excuse. The purpose was to let their family go to a safer place. Or talk about going to Liaocheng Mansion to avoid disaster. After all, even Liaocheng Prefecture cannot eliminate the pressure from the horse bandits in Bailang Village.
If in normal times, even if the Lei family had such a plan, others would not be able to say anything against it. After all, the Lei family has this strength, and no one else can interfere with where they want to live.
However, in Dongping County today, few state capitals are still alive. Most of the places hundreds of miles away can be said to exist in name only. Acheng, one of the few small towns, may have been spared because it was sandwiched between Liaocheng Prefecture, Dongping Prefecture and Yunzhou.
And because the three surrounding states strictly control population, the hopeless people have nowhere to go and can only keep pouring into Acheng. Although Zhou Yulou has not counted how many people built huts to live outside Acheng, it can be seen visually that there are obviously more people than outside Liaocheng Prefecture.
Although Acheng is under great pressure, and the county magistrate Lei Yifeng also prohibits people from outside Acheng's jurisdiction from entering the city, many people still come in through different channels. Nowadays, Acheng can be said to be overcrowded. Everyone hopes that Acheng will give them a sense of security. If they know that the Lei family is going to escape at this time, I am afraid that the entire Acheng will be turned upside down.
Zhou Yulou was a little strange. Although he received an order from Lei Yifeng yesterday, saying that the Lei family would take action today, Lei Yifeng actually did not use anyone from the county government for the first time. Zhou Yulou didn't dare to be interested in these, but for his own safety, he still considered it in his mind, that is, Lei Yifeng himself had lost his opinion.
Lei Yifeng is not like his cousin Lei Qingfeng, he is just a scholar. The Lei family, which had risen to prominence in Dongping County only a few years ago, had some literati in the past, but their reputation was not well known. Therefore, at the beginning of Lei Fang's reign, the children in the family were allowed to practice both civil and military skills. Lei Yifeng was obviously very accomplished in literary talent. He was elected by his family and reported to the newspaper that day. Emperor Guo Wei showed his kindness, and he became the magistrate of Acheng County after Reid.
The Lei family is obviously more complicated now. Just from Lei Qingfeng's generation, Zhou Yulou feels a different atmosphere. Although he didn't know how Bailang Village would deal with Acheng, or whether Liaocheng Prefecture had any countermeasures, Zhou Yulou believed that Acheng would not be peaceful in the past few days.
The city gates have been very strict in the past few days, but the security in the city has been relaxed, but there are still many people in Acheng during the day. The county government's police officers were stationed at the three gates of Acheng, and the arresting officer Lei Jian was always following the county magistrate Lei Yifeng. Zhou Yulou was originally responsible for patrolling the city, so he wandered around leisurely.
Not only did Zhou Yulou have time to eat and drink everywhere, he also had time to sleep. Because almost everyone living in Acheng knew him. When he was in the county government, he was not mentioned as a head catcher, but even the county magistrate Lei Yifeng. They looked at him as a famous arrester in the Three Kingdoms and turned a blind eye to him.
When I came back from outside the city wall, I saw that everyone was still going about their own business. It seemed that nothing had changed at all because of the departure of the Lei family.
Standing by the city gate with a knife on his shoulder, he looked at the bustling crowd. Although everyone's expressions were different, everyone seemed relatively calm. Zhou Yulou even felt a little unreal.
Lei Qingfeng had just given him an address, and his mother, wife, and children were temporarily there. Yesterday, he used an excuse to break away from the family's operation. It must have been a well-thought-out plan. Thinking of his thoughts and the influence that person had on him, Zhou Yulou agreed to his request without considering it.
Zhou Yulou and Lei Qingfeng also saw the movement of the Lei family at the lake. It was almost the migration of the entire family. The team stretched for several miles and prepared many so-called gifts. To outsiders, it looked like a huge procession, but Zhou Yulou did not expect that the Lei family was so thoughtful.
He didn't know why Lei Qingfeng made a decisive choice. Making such a choice at this time could be said to be betraying the entire family. But Zhou Yulou could not see any panic on Lei Qingfeng's face. He was probably not a cunning, cunning or ungrateful person. But his choice was indeed surprising. On the contrary, after he agreed to it, he felt relieved.
What gave him such courage, and what made him lack confidence in his family. In other words, he simply didn't believe in his family or that they could easily deal with the horse bandits in Bailang Village. Zhou Yulou speculated in his heart that he knew something that others didn't know!
Zhou Yulou thought that it should be because of him, the person who both he and Lei Qingfeng knew!
Of course, in Zhou Yulou's heart, he felt that he was agreeing to that person, the person who changed his life back then! So seeing Lei Qingfeng leaving in a hurry, Zhou Yulou felt a little more hopeful for some reason. Then he also returned to the city, ready to go and see the place where people were hiding.
That place is not a problem for Zhou Yulou. He is already very familiar with everywhere in Acheng. Although Acheng has repeatedly expanded and its territory has become much larger than before, Zhou Yulou can be said to know every part of Acheng like the back of his hand.
Now it is not the property of the Lei family, but the territory and property of the Dong'awei family, a family that moved to Acheng two years ago.
The Wei family is considered a wealthy family in Dong'a, and is one of the big families that has lived in Dong'a County for a long time. The medicine has been passed down from generation to generation in Dong'e, and it is said that it can be traced back to the late Han Dynasty. Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, dynasties in the Central Plains have been changing dramatically, and all the powerful families have suffered fatal blows.
Because of the troubled times, especially Zhu Wen, who had established himself on behalf of the Tang Dynasty, he almost killed all the nobles in the world. As a family of the Qilu generation, although the Wei family cannot be considered a powerful family, it is still one of the oldest families since the late Han Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty. Being in a strategic location in Qilu, and having a lot of wealth, and many other reasons, after suffering several major blows, there was no way to move to Acheng.
There are also descendants of the Wei family and direct descendants of the Wei family in Acheng, but after arriving in Acheng, their power naturally cannot be compared with that of the local snake Lei family. In addition, the Wei family has always been good at producing donkey-hide gelatin. It is both a business family and a medical family. There is not much dispute with the Lei family, a rising upstart.
In addition, in the past two years, the two families have also made plans to marry each other. Although it has not yet reached the level of direct marriage, they can be regarded as relatives recognized by the family. Moreover, Acheng is indeed not a big place. We can meet each other without looking up, but we usually still respond to each other.
Zhou Yulou never cared about this kind of wealthy family's property. After all, if he wanted to get rich, he would have become a rich man long ago. He has always felt that as long as he has wine and food to eat, there is no need to hide how much money he has at home.
Even if he gets a sum of money unexpectedly, Zhou Yulou will quickly spread it out and give it to the poor people in need. Although others don't know his other identity, if he needs money, it's really a simple matter.
Therefore, Zhou Yulou was not surprised at all when he heard that Lei Qingfeng had property elsewhere. After all, Lei Qingfeng is also a direct son of the Lei family. It should not be a problem to own some properties in Acheng or acquire some properties of his own from other families.
He didn't want to be with his family members, which shouldn't be a big problem for Acheng's largest family. What's more, that family doesn't have any unscrupulous dirty deeds, and there may be some people who wish they couldn't leave.
Since he agreed to Lei Qingfeng, Zhou Yulou would not deal with it casually, so he decided to go and have a look first before deciding how to deal with it.
But just as he approached the city gate, before he could leave, he actually ran into an acquaintance!
It should be said that it was someone Zhou Yulou didn't want to see very much. Song Sanniang, the concubine of Wei Jian, the owner of Qinghu Tower, was commanding four men and pushing two wheelbarrows in from outside the city. There were two young men in black beside her, chatting softly with her.
It seemed that the two men should be businessmen. They looked capable and confident, but their bodies did not have the potbellies of those businessmen. Instead, they both had tall and straight bodies. This actually made Zhou Yulou take a second look. When he saw the figures of the two people, he knew that they were both practitioners.
However, Zhou Yulou didn't pay too much attention to it, because this was an era of martial arts, and even a weak scholar could learn some self-defense swordsmanship and knife skills if he traveled around. After all, we were living in a troubled era and after the Tang Dynasty where force was prevalent. It's normal for everyone to know a few moves. It's also normal for these merchants who travel among various forces to know some kung fu.
However, when he heard their whispers, they were vaguely talking about goods. Zhou Yulou became more convinced that the two of them were businessmen from other places. And even though they were dealing with Song Sanniang, they were very decent and natural. They must be experienced merchants in shopping malls.
Zhou Yulou knew that Wei Jian, this concubine, was very capable. He managed a large restaurant in Acheng very well, both inside and out. The eldest wife of the family valued her very much. After all, Qinghu Tower was in the hands of Wei Jian's father. But it didn't have the scale and business it has today. The eldest lady doesn't have to show herself in public, and she would rather do this. She can let Song Sanniang do her own thing and let others gossip about her.
I originally wanted to turn my back and miss it, but who knew that Song Sanniang saw Zhou Yulou, and several people stopped by and came across. Zhou Yulou smelled a fishy smell of the sea, which was obviously coming from the high cargo of the two wheelbarrows. Knowing that he couldn't avoid them, he couldn't help but forcefully smiled at Song Sanniang and handed her over.
"Has Sanniang got new goods again?" I don't know why, but those who owe money always feel guilty. Although Wei Jian and he are usually brothers, this Song Sanniang doesn't give him face. Zhou Yulou had a dry smile on his face and looked at Song Sanniang and others coming over.
"That's right. It's a batch of very good Lingnan dry goods and seafood. They came all the way from Lingnan and Han Dynasty. They are not the dry goods from Laizhou Bay! Lord Zhou has always been a good person. If nothing happens in the past two days at the Yamen , if you have time, you can come over to the shop and have a drink, how about Sanniang asking the officials to show off their skills for Master Zhou!"
There was a faint smile on her oval face. Zhou Yulou almost thought that he heard wrongly, but when he saw Song Sanniang looking at him with a smile, he immediately came back to his senses and said with a smile: "That's very good. The seafood from the south is really good." Gonna try it!"
I don't know why, Zhou Yulou suddenly stopped, and suddenly thought in his heart, isn't that person also from Lingnan! Zhou Yu seemed to be lost in thought as soon as he went downstairs, and became a little lost in thought.
The two young merchants next to Song Sanniang saw Zhou Yulou suddenly lost in thought. They couldn't help but stand apart and stared at Zhou Yulou with cautious expressions on their faces. Obviously, Zhou Yulou's identity as an agent has made the two of them a little wary.
Even Song Sanniang on the side became solemn when she saw Zhou Yulou's thoughtful look, and her beautiful big eyes became sharp. However, after seeing that Zhou Yulou had not changed, her whole expression slowly changed. Relax. Although he didn't look at the two young men, he waved his right hand slightly at his side to let them calm down.
On the inside of the white and tender wrist, a wolf head with splayed teeth and claws exposed half of its hair. No one would notice it unless they paid close attention.
"Sanniang, please go ahead. There are some small matters that need to be dealt with by a certain family! Please send a message to the Wei Dong family. If you have time, I will go and try the craftsmanship! It's been a long time since I tasted the seafood from Lingnan!" As if he suddenly came back to his senses, he looked at When everyone looked at him, Zhou Yulou smiled, turned around and left without any intention of stopping.
"Sanniang! Do you want to follow me?" Standing side by side, a young man whispered to Song Sanniang. The tense atmosphere was relieved in an instant. Looking at Zhou Yulou's back, Yongyong wanted to try.
"No need! Brother Feng, you have underestimated this Master Zhou. His skills are beyond your control!" Song Sanniang smiled slightly and looked at Zhou Yulou's figure before quickly disappearing into the crowd.
Everyone was doing normal activities. Suddenly, the ground shook, and then there was a burst of shouting, mixed with a loud explosion!
The sudden change caught people on the street by surprise and made them look around. Some people didn't come back to their senses for a while, and when they saw everyone in chaos, they started to panic.
Listening to the sounds and movements, they should be coming from the direction of Daqing Lake, where the imperial water village is stationed. Everyone was stunned for a moment, but their instinctive panic still made everyone run away. Song Sanniang and others looked at each other and quickly pushed the wheelbarrow towards Qinghu Tower.
They didn't notice that Zhou Yulou was standing on the side of a pavilion, his eyes calm and focused, watching them push the wheelbarrow from a distance, and quickly disappeared.
! ! !
The rain seems to be falling non-stop, and the pattering is not heavy. Gently tapping leaves and grassy wildflowers.
The weather in May and June is the rainy season in the southern rainforest!
Three iron carriages came quickly from the official road. The wheels ran over the official road paved with loess. The splash of mud stained the green grass and leaves on the roadside, but the rain soon washed away the accident.
The drivers on the carriage, whipping their horses, are all wearing raincoats and wide-brimmed bamboo hats. Although they all look old-fashioned, they all have young faces. They sat firmly on the handlebars and looked calmly at the smooth official road in front of them. The rain did not affect their driving at all.
This is already the boundary of the Han Dynasty in Lingnan, and this official road is also a new road that was opened recently.
In fact, according to the correct explanation, this road is just the government widening half of the area on the original official road. As a result, the road that could only be passed by one carriage could now be passed side by side by two carriages, and there was still enough width left.
The scale of this road is that of all parts of the Central Plains, and it is also an amazing road.
After the new emperor Liu Jixing ascended the throne, he successively issued decrees to all states in the country, calling for the construction of national highways in 61 states across the country.
Although many people are against it! Because the Lingnan regime has been able to sit firmly in power for decades since Emperor Xiang established its foundation, relying on the natural dangers of Wuling to be difficult to overcome. Even if they wanted to touch Chu Di and Southern Tang Dynasty back then, they couldn't get even a little bit of it.
That's good. There's no way for others to break in. The emperor himself has opened a thoroughfare. If someone else breaks in, and you have thousands of troops, wouldn't it be possible to reach Prince Xing's Mansion in one fell swoop?
Emperor Liu Jixing would not be surprised if everyone thinks this way, everyone knows this truth. Liu Jixing is not a stubborn person. He had already thought of this before doing this. So the pros and cons were disseminated everywhere by the scholars in the Imperial College in advance, and sure enough, the people surprisingly agreed.
After symbolically asking for everyone's advice and encountering some different voices, the emperor only did one thing. That is to ask the officials who oppose it to go to various states for pilot projects and ask the people who pass through the places along the way to ask their opinions on the emperor's proposal to build roads.
The result is self-evident. Although everyone did not dare to offend the emperor, they also wanted to seize some of the emperor's shortcomings so that they could appear useful. The results obtained were naturally unsatisfactory, and these people finally returned to Prince Xing's Mansion in despair to report the results.
There is a saying in later generations: If you want to get rich, build roads first!
The emperor's will was not greatly rejected, because before that, Emperor Liu Jixing also made an amazing move, which almost changed the military system of the Han Dynasty in Lingnan. That is, the emperor issued an order to summon all the soldiers in the country who were not guarding the border or fighting, and they all laid down their weapons to participate in this action.
At first, everyone just waited and watched and didn't understand. Later, after the army was invested for less than half a month, amazing results were seen. The soldiers who laid down their weapons began vigorously building roads across the country, quickly clearing many natural obstacles that were usually insurmountable.
In later generations, during Liu Jixing's time, there were places as difficult as the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in today's Tubo Kingdom. A brave army created miracles for future generations with their hands. Under such difficult environment and conditions, soldiers could build roads and railways. Liu Jixing did not believe that his soldiers could not complete it.
Facts have proved that Liu Jixing's decision was correct, and soon the country's officialdom expanded and achieved strategic results. Not only have many unconnected areas been built, but the original official roads have also been greatly broadened.
There is no longer a loud voice of opposition. That is because people everywhere are only supporting it and will not waste too much money on people. Even if there are some voices, they are just to find faults or to win the emperor's attention.
The emperor would never be arbitrary or tyrannical. He would seriously accept voices from all sides and finally make the correct comparison. Of course, Emperor Liu Jixing still put forward his own point of view and proposed a new concept, that is, joint construction between the military and the people.
Although many people did not understand it, as the emperor's prestige grew stronger and the people's lives improved rapidly, many people did not dare to resist.
And what happened next was that after these soldiers participated in local infrastructure construction and performed well, they were directly escorted to the emperor's pro-army Green Camp. This is the dream of the soldiers of the Han army, because Green Camp represents the pride of the soldiers in the Han Dynasty in Lingnan.
Of course, the people's positive response has also been publicly praised by the government. Not only was he exempted from a certain amount of taxes, but he also became an outstanding citizen of the government. From then on, the children of the elderly in the family could enjoy priority recommendations from the government, and the elderly could receive special benefits from the court.
This recommendation is a remarkable move in the Han Kingdom in Lingnan today. The elderly can become elders in the village and enjoy specific benefits from the government every year if they are recommended. The young people can go to school, become officials, and even go to Beijing to study literature and martial arts if they are recommended. Children who are recommended can receive free education and even go to Beijing to study in a place that many families are jealous of, which is the Youth Hall opened by the imperial court.
The emperor's will undoubtedly won the support of the common people and soldiers all over the world, and official roads in various places were gradually completed. Then everyone saw the effect one after another. Materials from various places could be continuously transported to the Xingwang Mansion in the capital, or sold to the borders of various places. From now on, the imperial army can also suppress rebellions everywhere at any time, and can be dispatched to various places to guard the borders according to orders.
The people who benefit the most seem to be the common people, so official ethics in various places are actually well maintained. And for such a high-end carriage, it can be said to be very stable when traveling on official roads.
The flower stamens have been removed from the flower stamens, and no powder has been applied at all. Although they have been constantly running around, they are not very tired at this moment.
After gently lifting the car curtain, I felt the moist freshness in the air. Looking at the carriage speeding along, the surprise in my heart was greater than the panic.
After traveling all the way, there were constant twists and turns. Although Hua Rui didn't know much about the world before, but after seeing the transitions and changes along the way, he also knew that these people were not simple, but an extremely tight organization.
Every off-site handover by the other party is smooth and normal, but it can be seen that everyone is very cautious.
Run all the way, all the way south!
