The sun rises.
The temperature also increased in vain, scorching the earth.
The corpses outside the county town exuded a stench, and countless flies were flying around.
Hundreds of people, with linen cloth tied around their mouths and noses, endured the stench while disposing of the corpses outside the city.
As the county magistrate, Xie Ding was very busy, not only to appease the people, but also to recruit more archers from the countryside to prevent the dare-chi army from attacking again.
Secondly, the state government began to press for money again.
Xie Ding actually knew very well that the people in the North couldn't afford this kind of money.
Even if he could pay it, he would still have to sell his sons, daughters, and land to make up the money.
In the past, when the state government imposed taxes, Xie Ding always refused to show mercy to the people.
Although he was only a seventh-level county magistrate, Zhao Ting and others did not dare to cause trouble with him due to the reputation of the Xie family in Fuyang.
But this time it was different. It was an official order and Wang Fu handled it single-handedly. Not to mention not collecting all the taxes, even if it was delayed for a few days, he would be punished by military law.
If Xie Ding dares to refuse again, it will be rebellion.
The name is not correct and the words are not correct.
Even if state officials executed him using military law, the Xie family could only hold their noses and admit it.
In the lobby of the county government office, Xie Ding sighed after reading the tax reminder document from the state government: "Alas, there has been a severe drought for many days this summer, and there has been no rain for a long time. I am afraid that there will be no corn harvest in late autumn. Wang Fu is in a high position. Instead of helping the officials solve their problems and just caring for the people, they are still collecting sex money from across the country. Isn’t it just adding fuel to the fire?"
Hearing this, Zhuo Ben, who was immersed in writing at the side, raised his head and retorted: "Xie Zhixian's words are wrong. Now the national treasury is empty, and the land of Yanyun is in time to spend money. The officials are thinking about it day and night. Those who serve the people , we should share the worries of the king and father. The hundreds of millions of people in our Song Dynasty can fill the national treasury with just one less bite of food."
Xie Ding was too lazy to pay attention to him and just pretended not to hear.
The two have been working together for more than a year, and it is not like Xie Ding has never heard of more outrageous remarks than this.
At first, Xie Ding often argued with him.
Later, after discovering that Zhuo Ben was extremely pedantic, they stopped arguing.
Arguing with a stupid person has no benefit except wasting your breath and causing trouble.
Seeing Xie Ding's silence, Zhuo Ben smiled slightly, feeling that he had been rendered speechless by himself.
After finishing the government affairs, it was already noon.
Xie Ding doesn't eat lunch, but he will eat some pastries and preserved fruits to cushion his stomach.
After getting up and returning to the backyard, he suddenly asked: "Where is Zhu'er?"
Zhu'er is Liu Qi's nickname.
The old servant looked puzzled and asked: "Last night, Xiaoyanei said that he would go to the city wall to watch the night in case the rebels came again. Didn't Alang encounter him when he inspected the city wall?"
"You went to watch the night at the city wall last night?"
Xie Ding was stunned for a moment, but when he reacted, his eyes suddenly went dark.
not good!
"Alang, Alang!"
When the old servant saw Xie Ding swaying and almost falling, he rushed forward to hold him up.
Xie Ding said in a daze: "Zhu'er must have gone to vote for Han Zhen!"
Seeing this, the old servant hurriedly consoled him: "Alang, why do you need to be like this? Xiaoyameni is out of temper. Maybe he is just going to hang out for a few days. I don't know how many days he will be back."
"What do you know!"
Xie Ding scolded him and said with a grimace: "How can it be that Han Zhen is easy to get along with when he looks down on a wolf? Zhu'er has a mellow temperament, so he is just like a sheep falling into a tiger's mouth."
The old servant was startled and said nonchalantly: "This... what should we do?"
Taking a deep breath and calming down a little, Xie Ding murmured to himself: "I will write a letter to Chang Yukun, hoping that he can sell it to me with some respect."
After that, he didn't care about eating pastries and hurried back to the lobby.
In the lobby, Zhuo Ben was holding a letter and was about to go out. Xie Ding just glanced at him briefly. In the past, he would have asked, but now he had no intention of asking.
…
…
After sleeping until the afternoon, Liu Qi yawned and sat up.
After all, he was a young man. He had just gone through a day of fierce fighting yesterday and stayed up all night. After only two or three hours of sleep, he became full of energy again.
Turning around, he saw Han Zhen sitting cross-legged on the bunk bed, closing his eyes and breathing slowly.
Um?
Liu Qi raised his eyebrows in confusion, and immediately realized that this might be the Taoist secret technique.
After observing carefully for a moment, he found that Han Zhen's breathing was completely different from that of ordinary people. His breathing was long and divided into three sections.
With every breath, there will be faint sounds in the abdomen.
Like a tiger roaring, but also like a leopard roaring.
At this moment, Han Zhen slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and opened his eyes.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Liu Qi's eyes widening and he came up to him with excitement on his face. He mumbled in his mouth: "The sound of thunder of tiger and leopard, this must be the sound of thunder of tiger and leopard!"
Han Zhen raised his eyebrows and asked doubtfully: "What are you talking about?"
"Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound!"
Liu Qi seemed to have discovered something incredible, and he was in a state of excitement. He explained: "My master once said that practicing martial arts is actually practicing a Qi in the chest. This Qi is the life gate of a martial artist. If you practice it, If you activate your energy at high and deep levels, you can make the sound of tiger and leopard thunder in your belly."
"Just now when I watched you breathe, the rudiments of the sound of tiger and leopard thunder were already vaguely formed."
Hearing this, Han Zhen couldn't help but smile: "I'm afraid that master of yours has read too many stories about rangers."
He did hear noises coming from his stomach just now, but he just thought it was because he was hungry.
Liu Qi immediately quit and said with a serious face: "My master is Zhou Tong, a master of martial arts. He will definitely not trick me!"
Zhou Tong?
Han Zhen always thought that this character was a fictional character in a storybook like "Water Margin", but he didn't expect that he actually existed.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but ask: "Is your master very powerful?"
Liu Qi immediately replied: "Of course. He is almost eighty years old now, and he can still wield a big spear and a three-stone bow."
It's really amazing that an eighty-year-old man can still do this.
Han Zhen said curiously: "Then just let Zhou Tong teach you. You may not be so surprised."
"Neither can my master."
Liu Qi scratched his head in embarrassment, then excitement ignited in his eyes, and asked: "County Magistrate, did you just practice the Taoist secret technique?"
"That's right!"
Han Zhen nodded.
"I have joined the army now, can you teach me?" Liu Qi looked expectant.
"Yes, yes, but I don't have time right now. Let Wei Da teach you in a few days. He is the true successor."
When Liu Qi heard that he would have to wait for a few more days, his heart suddenly felt like a hundred claws scratching his liver.
However, thinking that Wei Da was the true successor of the secret technique, he had no choice but to suppress his impatience and nodded: "Okay, I'll wait for a few days."
"From now on, you will join the cavalry camp and be under Nie Dong's command temporarily."
After explaining, Han Zhen stood up and walked out of the barracks.
After finding Nie Dong, he ordered: "Call the soldiers who participated in the battle yesterday to come to the warehouse and distribute the rewards!"
"Got the order!"
When he heard that the reward was about to be distributed, Nie Dong turned around happily.
After a while, the infantry and cavalry who participated in the battle yesterday came to the school field to gather happily.
What they liked most about Han Zhen was that he never delayed in distributing rewards.
Basically, after the battle is over, it will be released the next day.
Refreshing enough!
And the rewards are never withheld, they are as much as they should be, and there will never be a penny less.
This alone is enough for the soldiers to fight bravely.
Holding the list of military merits in his hand, Han Zhen read loudly: "Xiao Wu, beheaded at the twenty-third level, has command and coordination, and is rewarded with one hundred and ten coins!"
"Nie Dong, behead level 18..."
Wow!
Under the scorching sun, the golden copper coins reflected dazzling light.
On the school field in the distance, the soldiers who were practicing had their eyes red with envy.
Yesterday they were stationed in the county town, but after waiting all day and night, they didn't even see a trace of the daredevil army.
Now, I can only watch helplessly as the brothers who went to Qiancheng County receive their rewards.
Liu Qi was dumbfounded. Is this how rewards are given in the army?
He has been in the army since he was a child, and has seen only a handful of scenes where rewards were given out.
And even if it is given out, it only means giving out a few coins.
But what about Han Zhen?
There are dozens or hundreds of strings at every turn, without blinking an eye.
The baskets of copper coins were so heavy that the soldiers could hardly drag them.
With this food and reward, not to mention domestic rebels, even facing Xixia and Liao, they can beat them to pieces.
After the reward money was distributed, Han Zhen said seriously: "Don't leave in a hurry. I have to announce something."
Hearing this, the soldiers who had received the reward stopped their smiles and stood up straight.
Han Zhen said loudly: "Nowadays, many brothers have lost their families and live in military camps for a long time. It is inconvenient to store reward money. Therefore, I decided to open the warehouse for access, so that money can be stored in the warehouse on weekdays."
The military camp is a large barracks, with dozens of people crowded into a barracks.
Those with family members are better off, as they can take the money home while they are off.
But what if you don’t have family?
Just like Nie Dong and this group of Western troops.
It would definitely be inconvenient to store it in the barracks. There are many people and things to do, and it might be stolen someday.
After listening to Han Zhen's words, the soldiers looked at each other in silence.
Seeing this, Han Zhen didn't understand what they were thinking, and sneered: "Oh, I don't look down on you, I don't look down on this little money. Whether you save it or not, it all depends on you, I won't force you."
These words made the soldiers suddenly realize.
yes!
The county magistrate's family has a big business, so how can he care about his own money?
And even if the county magistrate wants to be greedy, why should he pay himself a reward?
After figuring this out, the vigilance in many soldiers' hearts instantly dissipated.
"County magistrate, the general will survive!"
Nie Dong was the first to express his stance.
In his opinion, the county magistrate has a big plan, so how can he be greedy for these small amounts of money and lose a lot because of a small amount.
So, he wasn't worried at all.
With Nie Dong setting an example, Xiao Wu also spoke up: "County magistrate, I also save."
Soon, more than a dozen Western soldiers expressed their desire to save money.
They were deserters and had no relatives or friends in Linzi County.
A lot of reward money has been accumulated during this period, and it is really inconvenient to store it in the barracks.
At this time, a soldier hesitated and said: "County Magistrate, I want to ask, if you save it, can you take it out when you want to use it?"
Han Zhen replied: "You can use it at any time. Just go to the military accountant and register."
A few days ago, he found a craftsman from a government-run workshop in the county and made a set of anti-counterfeiting signs.
First of all, you need to present a deposit receipt when withdrawing money. There is an anti-counterfeiting mark on the receipt, which is the first layer of protection.
The second step is to check the identity information, which is the second layer.
Finally, there is the password, which is the third level.
Each soldier who makes a deposit has a password that only they and the accountant know.
In this way, it can be ensured that there will be no false claims.
As for whether the accountant would be greedy, Han Zhen had also considered this.
At that time, he would ask the county clerk to make a copy of the military accounts as a backup.
Check the accounts once a month. If the accounts are not correct, you have to ask whether the butcher knife in his hand is sharp or not.
"Okay, let's disperse."
After Han Zhen finished speaking, he ignored the soldiers. After giving Nie Dong a few words, he mounted his horse and left the military camp.
This kind of thing cannot be rushed. The more impatient you are, the more it will make the soldiers doubtful.
Han Zhen's love-free attitude actually enhances his credibility.
Moreover, after Nie Dong and others made samples and withdrew money several times, the remaining soldiers naturally believed it.
…
After entering the county seat, he first went back home and reported to Han Zhang that he was safe, and then Han Zhen rushed to the county government office to continue to follow up on the progress of the accounting inspection.
After sitting in the office for less than half an hour, a government servant hurriedly walked in and handed a letter into his hands.
Picking up the envelope and glancing at it, Han Zhen found it was a letter from Zhao Ting. A sneer appeared on Han Zhen's lips.
Yesterday, he replied to a letter from Zhao Ting, picked up the dragon-slaying knife and slashed at the price of the arms.
A set of half-body iron armor with twenty piercings, five leather armors, three long swords and spears, and two strong crossbows.
At the end, he made an extremely tough statement: If you like to sell, don't sell, and if you don't, you will be defeated.
After these days of exchanging letters, he finally understood that he had to be tougher on people like Zhao Ting, otherwise this guy would continue to fight for money.
As Changzhi County said, Zhao Ting has long lost his literary integrity.
Therefore, when it comes to money, there is no need to worry about shame.
Open the envelope and open the letter.
As expected, Zhao Ting was not angry at Han Zhen's words, but instead made a fuss about the price of arms.
But this time it was finally more reliable. Each weapon only added two coins.
Han Zhen thought about it silently in his mind and thought it was acceptable. The extra two bucks would be regarded as expedited expenses for rushing the work.
He took out a piece of letter paper, wrote a letter with a wandering pen, and ordered the yamen servant to deliver it to the post station before continuing to work hard.
Before I knew it, the sun was setting.
Feeling that the light in the bookkeeping hall was dimming, Han Zhen stood up and said, "It's getting late. You should finish checking the remaining accounts and then go back."
"yes!"
The subordinate officials all responded.
Except for the county government office, Han Zhen stepped on the setting sun and returned to his house.
"Thank you for your hard work, Alang."
As soon as he entered the gate, the housekeeper came up to him with a ponytail duster and diligently dusted Han Zhen's clothes.
Han Zhen asked casually: "Where is Madam?"
The butler replied: "We have a guest at home, and my wife is keeping us company."
guest?
Han Zhen was confused.
All the way through the hanging flower door, I saw Han Zhang and An Niang talking in the living room of the second courtyard.
"Erlang is back!"
Seeing him coming back, the two women stood up and came over to greet him.
But as soon as they got closer, the two of them frowned.
He had been running around all day yesterday, fighting against the daredevil army, and the blood was mixed with sweat. After being fermented at high temperatures, the smell was really overpowering.
Han Zhang urged: "Erlang, please go and wash up."
Han Zhen didn't think anything of it, but when he raised his arm and smelled it, his expression suddenly changed.
Good guy!
With this smell, it is really not easy for the subordinate staff in the county government to endure their work.
PS: I went to the county town today for something, and I didn’t come back until the evening because I was busy with work. I originally wanted to take a leave. But an author friend said that even if you ask for leave, you have to send 4,000 words.
I'm really sorry, I'll make up for what I owe tomorrow.
(End of chapter)
