PS: Thanks to book friend Suidehou for the reward.
"Open the city gate quickly and let our general enter the city."
A soldier who fled to Nao County with the Yuan family and his son stood under the city gate and shouted loudly towards the top of the city.
"Guys, please come back to the city tomorrow! The city gate is closed today and cannot be opened." One of the guards on the top of the city replied to the people below.
At this time, I saw the Yuan family, father and son, and others coming from the city on horseback. They were obviously of extraordinary status. If they were ordinary people, if they dared to call the city gate like this, someone would have fired arrows from the top of the city to drive them away.
"Stop talking nonsense, open the city gate quickly, you are delaying my general's business, you have a few heads that are enough to chop off." The soldiers outside the city gate yelled at the defenders on the top of the city.
After escaping from Daizhou all the way to Guo County, they were already exhausted. They were about to enter the city to rest, but they were blocked by a few soldiers guarding the city. The evil fire that had been suppressed all the way could not help but escape.
The people who defended the city were all government officials and ordinary soldiers. Naturally, they were incomparable to his status as a personal soldier, so he had no worries about scolding him.
"The little one really can't open the city gate. Closing the city gate at this time is the grand master's order. The little one doesn't dare to be good at it." The man on the top of the city carefully explained to himself.
The more ferocious the people in the city were, the more powerful they were, and they were not something that a small person like him could provoke.
"I don't care whose order it is, open the city gate quickly, or I will enter the city to make you look good."
The soldiers outside the city gate didn't care who gave the order to close the city gate. They had their own generals as their backers, so they didn't take the Guo County magistrate seriously.
"Without the order from the lord, I would not dare to open the city gate even if I have ten courages. I would like to ask the military master not to embarrass me. It is better to go to a village outside the city to spend the night, and then enter the city after the city gate is opened tomorrow. "
The more ferocious the people outside the city, the less they dare to offend the guards on the city. They can only persuade them with good words, but they must stick to one thing and never open the city gate.
"You damn bitches." Unable to open the city gate, the soldier yelled angrily.
"Let me do it!"
Yuan Chong came up from behind and patted the soldier on the shoulder, signaling him to step back.
The soldier stepped aside and murmured: "The guard on the top of the city is really hateful. When we enter the city, we must give him a good meal to relieve our anger."
"There is a chance after entering the city." Yuan Chong chuckled, turned to look up at the guards on the top of the city and shouted, "I am Yuan Chong, the Qianhu of the Zhenwu Guards. Could you please go to the city to report to the Deputy Qian of the Zhenwu Guards?" Yuan Feng sent a message to him, telling him that the commander of the Zhenwu Guards has arrived outside the city of Nao County. As long as Deputy Yuan Qianhu comes to see my father and son here at the top of the city, he will be greatly thanked."
There was no sound coming from the top of the city for a long time.
After a while, I heard someone say from the top of the city: "Master Qianhu, please wait a moment, I will go and deliver the message right now."
"Thank you." Yuan Chong bowed his hands towards the city.
On the top of the city, several guards gathered behind the crenellations. One of the deputy inspectors said: "Go to the Yamen and tell the lord that a group of people have come from outside the city and want to see Deputy Yuan Qianhu."
The guard who took the order put down his spear and quickly ran down the city.
In the Guo County government office, the county magistrate Zhou Shouchi invited all the big households in the city to the back office, while Guo County inspector Zhao Xing accompanied them.
"Everyone, think about it carefully and think whether what I said makes sense." Zhou Shouchi picked up the tureen at hand, brought it to his mouth, blew on it, and then took a sip.
In the past, if he wanted to govern Guo County well, he needed the support of these big families. Now news of bandits has come from Daizhou.
No one from the wealthy family in Nao County was speechless as they sat in their seats.
As a big local family, Daizhou's affairs could not be hidden from their eyes and ears. They were willing to come to the county government to see Zhou Shouchi, and they were ready to provide money and food to protect Nao County, but they were unwilling to be blackmailed by Zhou Shouchi. The other party asked for too much.
"Master Zhang, your Zhang family has been heirlooms of poetry and calligraphy for generations, and you can only produce a lot of scholars. Why don't you take the lead first?" Zhou Shouchi looked at a rich-looking, half-century-old man.
The Zhang family moved to Guo County during the Hongwu period. There were not many Jinshi and Juren members in the family. From an outsider, they gradually became the largest gentry in Guo County.
In Nao County, the Zhang family's words are often more effective than the words of the Nao County magistrate.
"The Zhang family is willing to provide money and food, and even assist the government in recruiting young men to defend the city." The head of the Zhang family said, "But the recent years have been bad, the harvests in the fields have been unsatisfactory, and the family has a large population, and the expenses have been high. It’s so big that the family has had little income in the past few years, and now the county magistrate wants so much, and the Zhang family really can’t afford it!”
Several other family heads present nodded.
It seemed to be telling Zhou Shouchi that the landlord's family had no food left.
Zhou Shouchi raised his eyelids and glanced at the people in front of him.
He didn't believe a word of what the head of the Zhang family said.
No matter how bad the disaster is, these wealthy families will not be short of food. On the contrary, they will take advantage of the disaster to make their mouths full.
"The County Master loves the people and I believe he will not force kind people like us." The head of the Zhang family said looking at Zhou Shouchi.
Inspector Zhao Xing no longer dared to speak at this time.
Facing a wealthy family like the Zhang family in Guoxian County, his inspection did not have the confidence of Zhou Shouchi. The other party was a respected person in the county, and his status was very different from his low-level inspection.
If he hadn't been required to patrol the city, he wouldn't have been qualified to sit with these big shots in Guo County.
"How much does the head of the Zhang family plan to pay?" Zhou Shouchi put down the bowl in his hand.
"Five hundred taels of silver and thirty shi of grain."
The head of the Zhang family first made a slap with his hand, then raised three fingers and shook them.
"What about you?" Zhou Shouchi looked at the other people present.
"One hundred taels, ten stones of food."
"Two hundred taels, twenty stones of grain."
"Two hundred taels, fifteen stones of grain."
Several people reported the money and food they were willing to use to defend the city.
"Okay." Zhou Shouchi nodded in agreement.
As soon as he finished speaking, several people present were stunned. None of them expected that he agreed so happily.
"If the county magistrate has no objection, then I will go back and make preparations right away. I will ask someone to send all the money and food earlier. We can't delay the defense of the city at all." The head of the Zhang family said tentatively.
Zhou Shouchi nodded and said, "Everyone, go back and prepare!"
The big families present looked at each other, and in the end it was the head of the Zhang family who stood up first and said, "The county minister has no objection. I will go back and have the things delivered as soon as possible."
"Me too."
Other big households in Guo County also got up.
Zhou Shouchi picked up the tureen, picked up the lid with two fingers, blew out the hot air in the tureen, and said in a calm tone: "The rogues have arrived in Daizhou, and I heard that the rogues did not capture a single place. , the land will be allocated to the local people, especially those big households, and each family will suffer heavy losses."
