After crossing north, the imperial driver turned northeast and followed the southern section of Yongji Canal towards Damingfu, where Yedu is located, until entering Neihuang County and stationed in Neihuang County.
Neihuang is located at the junction of Hebei and Yan, southwest of Daming Prefecture. From the map, it feels a bit like it is hanging outside. Throughout its history, it has been a bit "troubled by disasters". It has been repeatedly abandoned, and its ownership has also rotated between Wei and Xiangzhou, but its position is still not so "clear".
However, Neihuang has always been a fertile land, with plains throughout the territory and developed agriculture.
In the wars of the past few years, all aspects of the inner Huang suffered great damage. After Du Chongwei was annihilated, Gao Xingzhou was ordered by the court to restore order. In the past two years since Liu Chengyou succeeded to the throne, It also gradually recovered, the refugees returned home, and banditry was banned.
However, in the past two years, disasters have continued in Hebei and have spread widely, and the Yellow River is inevitably affected by them. Although Liu Chengyou has implemented a policy of reducing the risk, but when it falls on the local people and the common people at the grassroots level, it is just to stop the boiling water. One of the military and political leaders was Gao Xingzhou.
After learning that the imperial driver was passing through the border, the county magistrate and officials in Neihuang made preparations to welcome him early. Liu Chengyou still remembered that during his western tour of Luoyang last year, he saw that most of the local officials and generals he passed along were going their own way and did not pay much attention to him as the emperor, which forced Liu Chengyou to deal with a large number of officials ruthlessly. Compared with this, the biggest difference this time is that no matter how weak the current imperial court's control over local areas is, its majesty is obviously strengthening.
Asking the accompanying Prime Minister Yang Bin to deal with the officials in Neihuang, Liu Chengyou left the brigade and, under the escort of Gao Huaide and Zhao Yanjin, headed straight for Neihuang Township.
"If your Majesty wants to inquire about the people's livelihood, just call some farmers to come and ask questions. Why bother to go there? After all, this is in Fangzhen, not Jinei. Your Majesty is connected with the world and is the most important person in the country. He is so separated from the army and the imperial guards are in front of him. Weak, it is still too dangerous. If there is a rebellious person with ulterior motives..." Riding his horse to follow Liu Chengyou, Zhao Yanjin couldn't help but admonish him.
There were only three hundred horsemen accompanying him as escorts. Although they were well-equipped and powerful, they were indeed weak in terms of numbers.
Before Liu Chengyou expressed his position, Gao Huaide next to him heard it and suddenly showed displeasure. In Wei Bo's territory, even if there are people with ulterior motives who can gather troops to attack and pose a threat to Liu Chengyou's safety, only Gao Xingzhou who is stationed in Yedu has that ability and strength.
Gao Huaide thought about this, and Zhao Yanjin's words, perhaps unintentional, were a bit harsh to him.
Even though they usually have a good relationship, Gao Huaide's tone was particularly aggressive and his expression was serious. He said to Zhao Yanjin: "If there is a traitor in the kingdom who dares to commit rebellion, I will protect him to the death!"
Gao Huaide's anger made Zhao Yanjin slightly dazed. Not knowing why, Liu Chengyou noticed the cold face of his brother-in-law, his eyes flashed, and with his increasingly discerning mind, he understood after just a second thought.
"Since I succeeded to the throne, I have been committed to peace in the world, lenient punishment and simple administration, suppressing bandits and thieves, and suppressing violence and rebellion. I believe that although I have not been very kind to the people of Hebei, I have many virtues. If there is still a life without The heart of a minister can lead to ups and downs, so either that person is irredeemable, or there are still shortcomings in what I have done, and I need to self-examine in order to improve..." Liu Chengyou started his daily high-sounding behavior again.
As soon as the words came out, Gao and Zhao immediately attracted compliments and admiration, although judging from their expressions, they were not particularly moved. On the other hand, Miss Zhe, who was accompanying him, looked at Liu Chengyou's side cheeks that exuded confidence, her eyes slightly bent, and she said with a smile: "It is a blessing to the world that an official has such a broad mind."
Liu Chengyou glanced at his uncle, and pointed at the imperial guards surrounding him in a tight guard formation. He looked relaxed and raised his voice deliberately: "The army in front of the palace is the elite selection of the imperial army, and the cavalry army is the backbone of the palace army. The troops are the elite warriors in the cavalry army. In my eyes, there is no better elite in the world than this. It is not a problem for one to be equal to five. With such fierce tigers protecting each other and good generals accompanying them, how can they not protect me?"
This time, the soldiers around him straightened their backs subconsciously when they heard his words. Liu Chengyou never missed any opportunity to show his style and win people's hearts. It's getting smoother and more natural. I think back then, he would still get hot occasionally and would recall and think about whether there was anything inappropriate in what he said.
Now, there is no need for it. Firstly, his kung fu has gradually improved to the point where he can enter the palace, and secondly, the blessing and authority of his identity have been improved enough to make others ignore some details.
On the outskirts of Neihuang, a village was randomly selected. A large area of farmland was spread out on the field. It was obviously redefined by the government. The fields in winter are desolate, as if there is a layer of light frost on the field surface, and the unorganized soil is left in a mess. There are still a few almost rotten straws left on the field edges.
The knight galloped in, breaking the tranquility of the village. Under the horrified eyes of the villagers, Gao Huaide arranged for people to guard the crossings and strictly prohibited entry and exit. He also personally led people to surround a nearby village and asked the master to leave. After checking inside and outside to confirm that there was nothing abnormal, Liu Chengyou arrived belatedly.
For the sake of security, if you should disturb the people, you still have to.
Inside the earthen wall built with loess, there are four or five bamboo and wooden houses. There are rows of waterweed growing on the side of the fence. There are three or two native chickens croaking in the long chicken coop, and the watchdog is tied to the corner of the yard. He kept barking at the imperial guards who broke into the farmer's house, and only after being comforted by a young peasant girl, he stopped barking with a sob.
This is a very ordinary farmhouse in Hebei, with eight members and three generations living together. The owner is an old man, his age is indistinguishable, his body is thin and his skin is rough.
The last time Liu Chengyou went deep into the countryside to inquire about the people's sentiments was when he was in Hengzhou.
When Liu Chengyou stepped into the farmyard, the whole family was kneeling on the ground, huddled together, their trembling bodies showing fear, and they did not dare to say anything.
After casually placing two mats and sitting down with Zhe Xiaoniang, Liu Chengyou looked at a family of farmers in simple clothes and stretched out his hand: "Flat body!"
When the old farmer heard this, he looked confused and at a loss.
Zhang Dejun noticed it and immediately spoke up, reminding him somewhat politely: "Your Majesty asked you to stand up and answer."
They looked at each other, still not daring to move. Seeing this, Liu Chengyou signaled, and Zhang Dejun personally stepped forward to help him up. The old farmer's movements were all awkward. No matter how knowledgeable he was, he could still feel the nobility of the man and woman sitting in front of him. Moreover, there were so many "vicious" soldiers guarding him. His calves were trembling and he didn't dare to raise his head.
"How old are you, father-in-law?" Liu Chengyou asked in a gentle tone.
The old farmer hesitated, and after Zhang Dejun's translation, he realized that the noble man in front of him was asking about his age.
Only then did he give a very clear answer. He didn’t know his age, let alone when he was born.
Liu Chengyou asked him again if he was a local, and he said that he moved from Xiangzhou.
In a direct conversation, Liu Chengyou couldn't change his polite manner, and the old farmer spoke with a local accent, so communication was really difficult. However, after much stumbling, I finally understood the situation of the old farmer and his family.
He was not from Xiangzhou, and he didn't know exactly how many years ago he fled from Hedong to Tangyin in Xiangzhou. From his vague description, Liu Chengyou guessed that it was probably during the period when Shi Jingtang started his army.
He has four sons. The eldest son joined the army in his early years and has not been heard from since. He probably did not know where he died or in which battle he stayed. The second son was captured as a young man, but he was lucky enough to survive. He returned lame and married a peasant woman. The third son has been married for several years and is currently serving in the military. The younger son has just grown up and is working hard at home. The world is getting better and better, and he is preparing to save money and food to find a wife.
There are two grandsons and one granddaughter. They are not very young, but they can also help with farm work.
When the Khitan army retreated northward, they passed through Xiangzhou and burned and killed the people. Their families fled to the mountains and forests. After the establishment of the Han Dynasty, they recruited the refugees and followed the tide to Neihuang.
The government allotted fifty acres of land and settled here, and then reclaimed dozens of acres of wasteland. Due to disasters, the harvest was not very good. The tax is not light either. Most of the little output in the fields has been collected by the government. The remaining grain is difficult to survive through the winter. It will be even more difficult to prepare for winter planting and spring plowing...
This is a family, living in poverty and outright stupid people.
