(Thanks to: Caiyun Xianmu and Wu Chacha for the reward)
Wow!
The blue and white tureen fell to the ground and fell into pieces. The hot tea inside was scattered all over the floor, and a few tea leaves stuck to the broken porcelain pieces.
Master Jia, who was standing a little further away, cautiously advised: "Sir, please calm down. These are just a bunch of ignorant untouchables talking nonsense. There is no need to get angry with these untouchables."
"Untouchables, haha, what a bunch of untouchables." Guo Binchang said angrily, "I am dedicated to serving the people, but I am so slandered. It is simply unreasonable."
Rumors in Lingqiu City have become more and more intense. From the early days when Hutou Village killed people and occupied the iron yard, it gradually spread that the magistrate colluded with the bandits of Hutou Village to seize Chen Dafu's iron yard, and they said so with good reason.
No one has ever thought that Chen Dafu died before Guo Binchang took office. At that time, Guo Binchang was still in the capital. How could he face the bandits here in Lingqiu?
Rumors are full of loopholes and cannot withstand scrutiny at all, but the people like to hear them and are willing to believe them. They care about whether the things they talk about after dinner are true or false.
Master Jia looked at the angry magistrate and silently mourned for him.
It was obvious at first glance that someone was secretly fueling the situation, and it was not difficult for the people behind the scenes to guess that the bandits in Hutou Village had offended the interests of the Dongshan iron yard owners, and the source must lie in those Dongshan iron yard owners.
After venting his anger, Guo Binchang felt a little dry in the mouth. He turned around and couldn't find any tea. He said dissatisfiedly: "What are you doing standing still? Why don't you go and serve tea? Didn't you see that I'm thirsty?"
The servant was scolded and ran out in panic to serve tea.
Master Jia said: "Sir, someone must be secretly instigating this matter. Otherwise, what would the common people know, and how could it cause such an uproar?"
"I know!" Guo Binchang said angrily, "A group of bandits and bandits dare to kill people, steal goods, and occupy other people's iron fields. They really deserve to be killed."
Master Jia was stunned when he heard this.
Contrary to what he expected, shouldn't the magistrate hate those squires in Lingqiu?
You must know that since the county magistrate took office, he has been very unhappy with the squires of Lingqiu in order to collect the payment of the white list.
Master Jia hesitated for a moment and said, "Sir, did you say something wrong?"
Guo Binchang glanced at him and said, "Did I make a mistake? The bandits in Hutou Village took over the iron ground of the common people under my rule so blatantly, shouldn't I take care of it?"
"Sir..." Master Jia paused for a moment, as if he had thought of something, and then he changed his subject and said, "Sir, you are right. A group of bandits dare to occupy other people's iron fields. They really deserve to be killed."
After saying that, Master Jia touched the twenty taels of silver in his arms through his clothes, and said to himself, the magistrate is determined to deal with you, no wonder I am.
The servant brought a bowl of tea and brought it to Guo Binchang.
Guo Binchang grabbed the tureen with his hand and took a sip of tea. Poof, he spat it out and cursed: "It's so hot, do you want to burn me to death?"
Facing the angry magistrate, the servant hurriedly knelt down and begged: "My lord, please forgive me. I will give you another drink now."
He took the tea bowl back and the servant took it down to replace it with a new one.
Master Jia beside him looked thoughtfully at the still angry magistrate.
………………
In the main hall of the Hutou Village Temple, only three of the five seats are occupied now, and the other two have been empty for a long time.
Li Shuheng said: "Master, the salary matter has been settled. Ordinary sergeants will get one tael of silver per month, the chief and deputy captain will get one tael of silver, the deputy squad leader will get 2 taels of silver, the squad leader will get 3 taels, the deputy squadron leader will get 7 taels, and the lieutenant will get 7 taels of silver. The captain is fifteen taels, the deputy captain is fifteen taels, and the captain is twenty taels. Including the miner guards recruited at the iron yard, the monthly salary is more than two thousand taels."
Liu Heng nodded slightly.
The salary of one tael of silver is lower than that of the official and military servants. It is normal for the higher the position, the more the salary. Only in this way can the people below be more cohesive and work hard for a high position.
Zhao Yutu said with a slight hesitation: "Isn't the salary a little too much? The miners in the iron yard only earn 700 yuan."
Although he was also involved in the list of people who negotiated the salary, he still felt that it was too much to spend more than two thousand taels of silver at once to pay the army.
"Guards have to work hard, and they should get more than ordinary miners." Liu Heng said, "Starting from tomorrow, we will first reduce the salaries of several brigades in Hutou Village, and let the miner guards also watch."
The matter of negotiating salary was settled like this. Li Shuheng took the book he had bound in his hand, opened a page and said: "Zhaojiayu has sent 436 pieces of mail and 856 pieces of cotton intermittently this month. Armor, one hundred and twenty-five firecrackers, two hundred and thirty firecrackers from Lingqiu City, two hundred firecrackers sent from the iron yard, and three hundred pieces of cotton armor. A total of eight thousand silver was spent this month. Five hundred and thirty-five taels.”
Hearing this number, Liu Heng was stunned for a moment.
He didn't expect to spend so much money. Fortunately, he got tens of thousands of taels of silver when he took Hutou Village, otherwise he would have been unable to make ends meet.
"How much money is left in the cottage?" Liu Heng asked Li Shuheng.
Li Shuheng turned back a few pages of the book, took a look, and said, "There are still four thousand five hundred and twenty taels left, not counting tomorrow's salary."
"So there are only less than three thousand taels left?" Liu Heng rubbed his chin with his fingers.
Li Shuheng said: "Not counting the pay for the miners' guards at the iron yard, there is less than three thousand taels left. In half a month, the guards at the iron yard will also be paid. If they can't get the money, the village will really have no money. .”
"That's enough." Liu Heng said, "A new furnace has been built at the iron yard. The iron produced by the two furnaces is enough to support the expenses of Hutou Village and the iron yard."
Li Shuheng was speechless.
If it weren't for the income from the iron farm, the small amount of Ping An money collected by Hutou Village would not be enough to support such a large expense now.
Today's Hutou Village looks less and less like a bandit den.
There are soldiers and armor, which is more like an official army than an official army. Even an official army can't do it for everyone to wear armor and have meat to eat every day.
Liu Heng asked: "How are you doing with your self-made fire guns and plate armor?"
Flintlock guns are the future development direction of firecrackers. Matchlock guns will be eliminated sooner or later. Now Hutou Village is equipped with a large number of matchlock guns, and Liu Heng has his eyes on flintlock guns.
"The plate armor has been formed and is made of fine iron from our iron yard. It is still a little difficult to make self-made fire guns. The craftsmen we got from the Qing Military Department are good at making matchlocks. They are not familiar with self-made fire guns. They are slowly getting better." Research, but we have already developed a wire drawing machine and produced the spring that the master said." The person who spoke was Zhao Yutu, who often traveled between Hutou Village and Zhaojiayu.
Liu Heng nodded and said: "The number of matchlock guns can be reduced in the future, and the same goes for mail armor. Plate armor will be given priority to spearmen. Unfortunately, we don't have cavalry, otherwise we can form a plate armor cavalry team."
There are also some horses in the village, but not many. They can only be used as sentinels to convey messages. The number of cavalry teams is still too small.
Of course, the current situation in the village cannot afford to support a cavalry team. The cavalry is not like the infantry. The money to raise one cavalry is enough to raise ten infantry.
