The banquet in Huting was over, and Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue walked out of the Jingzhou Mufu.
The two brothers got on the same carriage. Kuai Liang sighed and said, "I want to resign from the post of chief registrar. What do you think, brother?"
Looking at Kuai Liang who was depressed, Kuai Yue said with relief:
"Brother's theory is the rule of the ages!"
"Sooner or later, my lord will do this! Brother, please be patient for now!"
Kuai Liang shook his head: "My lord can't use me, so why should I serve him?"
Seeing that his elder brother had made up his mind, Kuai Yue had no choice but to say:
"Human relationships in Jingchu, Wuyue and Yue are complicated. You may be able to gain temporary benefits just by relying on tactics, but if you fail to implement your brother's benevolence and righteousness, the source of trouble will still exist!"
"In my opinion, the hidden disaster may happen at any time. When the time comes, the lord will definitely think of the wise brother's strategy!"
"Brother, why don't you use the excuse of recuperation and return to your hometown to recuperate for a while."
"But you must not resign directly, otherwise if you offend the lord, I will be alone in Jingzhou, but I really can't support the Kuai family of Nanjun!"
Kuai Liang looked at his younger brother. Although he had always disliked Kuai Yue's machinations, he believed that Kuai Yue's schemes were just "temporary matters" and could not be put on the stage, let alone the "benevolence, justice and kingly way" he advocated. "Principles" are compared.
But in the face of family interests, the two of them could always put aside their prejudices and work together to maintain the Nanjun Kuai family.
After a long time, Kuai Liang sighed: "In this case, as a brother, you must follow the words of a virtuous brother."
…
Yuzhang County, Chaisang City.
After Yuan Yao led his troops to settle in, he immediately started construction in a big way.
As the first piece of land under Yuan Yao's actual control, with Lu Su as the magistrate of Chaisang County, assisted by He Kui and Zheng Hun, all officials, big and small, below the magistrate of Chaisang County were screened, eliminated and selected.
At least at the beginning, we must ensure that the decree can be adopted at the county and township levels.
As for whether the government orders can be issued to the lowest pavilion and li level in the future, Lu Su, Chaisangling, will need to work hard in the future.
The more than 7,000 old, young, women, and children brought from Huainan were also organized according to the household registration of the Eastern Han Dynasty. They were divided into twenty li by household, each li had 100 households, and each li was set up.
Yuan Yao distributed land to these people as promised. Because most of them are military dependents, they are called military households and are exempt from taxes for three years.
Twenty miles is divided into two pavilions, and Liu Fu is responsible for leading these people to select land to open up wasteland and cultivate fields.
In terms of taxes and corvee, Yangzhou Mu Yuan Shu and the two Yuzhang governors Zhuge Xuan and Zhu Hao were exempted from all assessments and exorbitant taxes.
From now on, as long as it is a county under Yuan Yao's rule, only officials sent by Yuan Yao have the power to collect taxes and collect corvee.
Moreover, Yuan Yao had to keep all the collected grain, grass, money and silk for himself, so that Lu Su and others did not have to hand over a grain of grain or a copper coin to Zhuge Xuan and Yuan Shu.
That is to say, Yuan Yao dared to behave in such a naked and independent manner because of his special status.
If it were left to other people, they would have been deposed or even punished.
For example, Sun Ce had to pay a certain amount of grain and grass taxes to Yuan Shu as usual in exchange for Yuan Shu appointing him as the prefect of Kuaiji for quite some time after he captured Jiangdong. It was not until Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor and the time was right that Sun Ce severed ties with Yuan Shu and completely separated from Yuan Shu's influence.
Therefore, Yuan Yao's governance in Chaisang can almost be described as unscrupulous, which also allowed his subordinates Wenwu to free their hands and feet to do whatever they wanted.
Chaisang is close to the Central Plains and has a high degree of civilization.
The scholars and people of this county were quickly and successfully pacified under Yuan Yao and Lu Su's policies of reforming official administration and levying light corvees and low taxes.
As for the army, Yuan Yao also completed a round of military expansion and reorganization.
When Chaisang was captured, there were 3,000 prisoners, of which 2,000 were Huang Zu's Jiangxia soldiers and 1,000 were Chaisang county soldiers.
Most of the Jiangxia soldiers were sent back when Huang Zu made peace with envoy Yuan Yaotong. Those who were willing to stay, including the soldiers of Chaisang County, were incorporated into Yuan Yao's army. Yuan Yao's army already numbered more than 5,000.
Yuan Yao used the more than 20 warships as a basis, then selected some new small ships, and asked Zheng Bao and Xu Qian to lead two thousand people to form a navy.
Because of Lu Dai's outstanding performance along the way, Yuan Yao wanted to promote him immediately, but he still needed to remove Qi Ji and Qin Yi from their military power.
Yuan Yao did not expect that the two generals he had recruited so hard to "save his life" when he left Shouchun would perform so mediocrely along the way!
Especially Qin Yi, he is simply incompetent! He couldn't defeat Wan Yan, a former grass bandit, in a duel, and even let Chen Yu run away from him!
It seems that you have dug a hole for yourself!
Yuan Yao was too embarrassed to go directly to Qi Ji and Qin Yi to transfer them out of the army, so he had to go to Liu Fu privately for help.
After Yuan Yao defeated Chai Sang, Liu Fu immediately gave up his identity as a guest minister and devoted himself to Yuan Yao's account.
He can naturally understand Yuan Yao's concerns.
So Liu Fu approached Qi Ji and Qin Yi, two fellows from the same county, and after some presentations, he finally convinced them.
In history, Liu Fu was able to convince these two people to join him and defect to Cao Cao. Now it is not difficult to convince these two people.
The next day, these two people took the initiative to see Yuan Yao and asked him to be transferred elsewhere.
Yuan Yao naturally treated these two people favorably.
He was appointed Qi Ji as the captain of Chaisang County, commanding five hundred Chaisang County soldiers, and became the deputy of Lu Su, the magistrate of Chaisang County.
He appointed Qin Yi as the captain of the field, unified more than a thousand old and weak people, and assisted Liu Fu to open up wasteland.
Upon hearing this, the two of them also swept away their previous worries and left happily.
Qi Ji came from the Fu Li Qi family, a local wealthy family, and was originally inclined to become an official. Yuan Yao's move actually fulfilled his wish.
Qin Yi did not expect that after disappointing Yuan Yao many times, he could finally command more than a thousand men and become a captain who did not have to fight.
The two went out after thanking him profusely. Yuan Yao summoned Lu Dai and formally appointed him as a commander of another department, and he was changed to command an infantry army of 2,000 horses.
The military system of the Han Dynasty: five hundred people composed one song; two or five songs constituted one unit. This is the origin of the word "buqu"!
Yuan Yao's subordinates currently have two "small departments" with one thousand people each. The chief military officer of the Xiaobu is called Jun Sima, also known as the Commander of Thousands and Xiaoxiao. This was Lu Dai's official position when he first came to join him.
There are 2,500 people in Wuqu as a "majority". The chief military officer of most of them is named Xiaowei, and his deputy is Xiaoxiao Sima.
Before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Han army basically used most of the military systems. The famous Xiyuan Eight Captains are eight major troops, each with 2,500 troops.
After the Yellow Turban Uprising broke out, the imperial court ordered counties and counties to recruit their own troops. Because the number of rebels was not large at the beginning, a small military system began to prevail.
A small force with no more than a thousand soldiers and horses would make it easier for the governor of the state and the governor of the county to control the army. If there are 2,500 troops in one force, the captain's military power will be too great and difficult to control.
After the war began, the number of armies gradually increased, and at this time the temporary military position of "Sima of the Other Department" began to become popular.
The Sima of the other departments is higher than the Sima of the army. He can command at least one small department, and he can command several small departments at most. Its biggest feature is that it can deploy more or less soldiers at any time.
Liu Guan, Zhang, Sun Jian, Xia Houyuan, Cao Ren and others all served as Sima of other departments at the beginning. It was not until the middle and late stages of the war, when the armies of various princes numbered tens of thousands, that the formal establishment of military commanders, commanders, and captains was slowly restored.
Yuan Yao is now in the early stages of starting a business, so he naturally needs to use temporary military positions such as Sima of the Department for a period of time.
So after a series of transfers and reorganizations, Yuan Yao's army was reorganized into four branches.
Zheng Bao and Xu Qian were the chief and deputy commanders of the two thousand navy;
Lu Dai was the 2,000-horse infantry of Sima from another department, and the 100 fine cavalry were also among them;
Qi Ji is the five hundred county soldiers commanded by the county captain;
Qin Yi is a thousand old and weak people commanded by the Tuntian Captain.
The first two formed Yuan Yao's main force, and the latter two were auxiliary forces.
Yuan Yao asked Lu Su to post a notice to recruit 2,000 new soldiers in Chaisang.
This time to stabilize the people and reorganize the army, Yuan Yao was delayed for nearly a month.
It was June, the rainy season was approaching, and the roads were becoming muddy.
Zhuge Xuan also sent people to ask for help at this time, saying that Zhu Hao had assembled nearly ten thousand troops in Poyang and was about to attack Nanchang.
Although the two thousand newly recruited soldiers were still training and could not be added to the army, Yuan Yao had to lead Zheng Bao and Lu Dai's land and water troops to continue southward towards Nanchang County.
Along the way, Liling and Haihun counties heard that Yuan Yao and his army were coming, and they all opened the city to offer seals and took the initiative to express their allegiance.
Liling was hit by disasters every year and suffered serious population loss. In Haihun County, powerful clans and big surnames are entrenched in the place, and the government orders cannot even go out of the county government.
Not to mention paying money and grain to the prefectures and counties, these two counties have been unable to collect taxes in the past two years. They are so embarrassed that they cannot even pay the salaries of the officials in the county.
If Yuan Yao doesn't come again, they will come to Yuan Yao's house and surrender voluntarily to ask for money and food from Yuan Yao.
Yuan Yao originally thought that these two counties had heard about his actions in Chaisang and surrendered because of his actions in politics.
Unexpectedly, after entering the city, Yuan Yao was shocked by the dilapidated scene and the hungry, green eyes of the people around him.
Yuan Yao summoned Zheng Hun and He Kui, who were originally planned to be the governors of these two counties, to discuss how to deal with these two counties.
The two entered the tent, and Yuan Yao waved his hand for them to sit down.
"Two gentlemen, you have also seen the current situation in these two counties."
"Liling County has experienced several banditry attacks, droughts and floods, and the entire county has less than a thousand households!"
"Haihun County is controlled by powerful clans. Even after the county magistrate died for two years, no one dared to succeed him."
"Although I have appointed the two as Chief Li Ling and Haihun Ling before, they are still guests here. If they don't want to take up their posts here, I don't have anything to say!"
To be honest, Yuan Yao didn't have much contact with these two people. He also knew that these two people had prejudices against him and Yuan Shu, so he didn't have high hopes for them.
Zheng Hun and He Kui looked at each other, and it was the older Zheng Hun who spoke first:
"Young Master originally appointed me as the magistrate of Haihun County, and He Shulong as the magistrate of Liling County."
"But He Shulong and I visited these two counties on this trip and after some discussions, we felt that the appointment of the young master was indeed somewhat unreasonable!"
Yuan Yao couldn't help but dim his eyes when he looked at the two of them. This so-called celebrity is really unreliable!
"He Shulong and I feel that our appointments should be exchanged. This would be more appropriate!"
Before Yuan Yao could speak, he noticed that Yuan Yao seemed to have misunderstood, and He Kui on the side quickly added.
Yuan Yao asked doubtfully: "How do you say this?"
He Kui said with a smile: "Liling suffered disasters several times. The people abandoned their fields and did not plant mulberry trees. Many of them fled to the mountains and swamps to make a living by hunting and fishing."
"Because the people of Liling do not care about reproduction, they live without food and grass, and there are countless people who abandon their babies."
"Young Master appointed me as the head of Liling, but after visiting Liling County, I felt quite helpless."
"But Zheng Wengong has a way!"
"He believed that in order to restore the population of Liling, their fishing and hunting equipment must be confiscated, their farming and mulberry farming must be punished, and the punishment for abandoning their children must be increased."
Yuan Yao held up his palms and praised: "Wen Gong's method can indeed cure both the symptoms and the root cause!"
Zheng Hun continued: "Haihun is controlled by powerful clans. Among them, the Peng family gathered more than 10,000 households and built a city at the strategic point of Shangliaoji Crossing. The city is stronger and the pond is much deeper than Haihun City!"
"I am from Sili. I entered Luoyang when I was young and traveled around to study as an adult. I am well-informed."
"But this is the first time I heard that there are more than 10,000 large clans with the same clan and surname in the world! It is also the first time I heard that the Wubao built by a clan is taller and stronger than the city in the county where it is located!"
"So the young master wants to appoint me as the Haihun Order. I'm really worried that I don't have enough prestige and I'm not qualified for the job!"
"But He Shulong is sure of this! I also believe that with Shulong's noble and stern prestige, he can solve the problem of Haihun with both grace and power!"
Yuan Yao also understood that the two people who had been arguing for a long time wanted to exchange official appointments.
Zheng Hun wanted to go to Liling to encourage farmers and mulberry trees, and He Kui wanted to use his authority to govern Haihun.
I thought that these two people would retreat in fear of difficulties, but what I didn't expect was that they both took the initiative to take up the post.
Yuan Yao was greatly relieved, stood up and bowed to the two of them: "It turns out that the boy underestimated you two!"
"Both of you, like me, are new to this place, but you can see through the predicament of the two counties at a glance. I deeply admire you two!"
"In this case, how can I not trust that you two can manage the place well?"
Zheng Hun and He Kui also quickly stood up and returned the greeting. They looked at each other again and secretly thought in their hearts. Can they finally change their impression in the mind of Master Yuan?
After today, you can truly abandon your prejudices and ignore past grudges!
"The two of them are about to take office. The difficulties they will face next are much more difficult than Lu Zijing's management of Chaisang."
"Whatever needs you two have now, I will satisfy them all!"
At this moment, Yuan Yao no longer dared to underestimate any famous person, especially the famous person who could be recorded in the history books.
These people are the true elites of this era!
Zheng Hun and He Kui were also unceremonious. They also knew that after passing this village, there would be no such shop.
Zheng Hun: "I need a lot of farm tools. I heard that the master is planning to build a dock in Chaisang. Can you ask craftsmen to build more than a thousand farm tools of various kinds for me first?"
He Kui: "I would like to first make up for the salary arrears of the officials in Shanghaihun County for the past two years. Can the young master lend me five thousand shi?"
Yuan Yao: "..."
In the end, Yuan Yao paid a heavy price for the Haikou he boasted about.
Not long after, Zheng Hun and He Kui strode out of Yuan Yao's tent, holding the county magistrate's seal and the grain and work order written by Yuan Yao, and returned with a full load.
Then there were several "pah pah pah" sounds from the tent.
Suddenly a horse came galloping up, and it was Yuan Yao's chief attendant, Yuan Bao.
Yuan Baofei dismounted and ran into the tent.
But when he saw Yuan Yao, Yuan Bao was shocked and said: "Young Master, you... why are you slapped in the mouth?"
Yuan Yao rolled his eyes at Yuan Bao angrily: "A mosquito flew into my face just now. Why, I can't fight mosquitoes, right?"
"Next time you find a place like this to pitch a tent, I'll beat you to death!"
Yuan Bao looked at Yuan Yao, who had red handprints on both sides of his face, and then looked inside the tent where there wasn't even a fly. He was suspicious but didn't dare to talk back at all.
"Young Master, General Huang Yihuang, when he led the vanguard to cross the river, he was slapped several times in the face by the Peng clan in public!"
"There are thousands of people gathered on the river bank now. Why don't you go and take a look?"
