July is on fire. As we enter July, the weather slowly starts to get cooler. Especially in the morning and evening, there is no longer a feeling of heat.
Han Shizhong captured Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan and beheaded them, and the Miao-Liu Rebellion finally ended. Zhang Jun set out from Jiankang to learn about the affairs of the Privy Council, the deputy envoy of the imperial camp, and the envoy of Xuanfu, and went up the river, intending to enter Sichuan and Shaanxi from Xiangyang and Dengzhou. Du Chong was the deputy envoy of the Privy Council, Xuan Fu, and the commander of the army in Jianghuai.
Among the ministers outside, there is no doubt that Zhang Jun and Du Chong have the highest official positions and the greatest power. One is in Sichuan and Shaanxi, and the other is guarding Jianghuai. He is obviously the right-hand man that the court relies on most. Zhang Jun was the main attacker and Du Chong was the main defender, deciding the pattern of the next war.
Wang Xiaolie took the official document and was stunned for a long time. I have some impression of Zhang Jun in his previous life, but I am not familiar with his deeds. From now on, he is a remarkable person. Zhang Jun presided over the Ping Miao Liu Revolution, and Han Shizhong sent troops, which made great contributions to the court. After the chaos was quelled, the reward for meritorious service was known as the Privy Council, which was the banner of the main war faction at this time.
If he doesn't pass here, Wang Xiaolie can ignore him. If you pass by yourself, you have to deal with it carefully. During Zhang Jun's trip, his power was unprecedented. Except for major court affairs, general matters can be decided by oneself. If Zhang Jun doesn't like the official Wang Xiaolie, he can just withdraw.
Putting down the official document, Wang Xiao hunter stroked his forehead, thinking over and over again, but still couldn't make a decision for a while. Of course, Wang Xiaolie was not afraid that Zhang Jun would withdraw him. As long as they have soldiers in their hands, the officials of the imperial court can do it or not. But Zhang Jun will be a senior official in Sichuan and Shaanxi in the next few years, and the two sides will have a good impression and happy cooperation in the future. If the impression is not good, there will be many troubles in the future.
In August, Zhang Jun arrived in Ezhou. There he dealt with the affairs of Jinghu North and South Road, then went north along the Han River to Xiangyang Prefecture.
In the Xiangyang government office, Niu Gao, Shao Ling, Cao Zhiyan and Xie Linong sat separately and looked at Wang Xiaolie.
Wang Xiaoxing said: "Privy Zhang came all the way north and wanted to go from Dengzhou to Guanshan. The Privy Council is an important minister in the court and an extraordinary figure. We'd better discuss how to welcome him. If he doesn't do anything right, a year's hard work will be in vain. ”
Cao Zhiyan said: "We will follow the instructions given by observation. We have never met such important officials as Privy Zhang before. We don't even know how to speak. What are your ideas?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "You haven't seen it, how can it be that I have seen it? Don't be too demanding about etiquette. In extraordinary times, many things can't be paid so much attention. The most important thing is that Privy Zhang has great power in Jinghu, Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Beijing. All roads in the west are under his control. If you are not satisfied with us and make any new arrangements, it will be a huge headache."
Niu Gao said: "We are an army. Everything is the result of hard work and observation. How can the Privy Council arrange it?"
Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "After all, we are still officers and soldiers, so we naturally have to listen to the court's orders. If we don't listen, there will be a lot of trouble later. It is best for Privy Council Zhang to approve our arrangement, so that it will be much more convenient later. "
Everyone nodded and said nothing. Except for Niu Gao, these people have always been in Wang Xiao's hunting army. Naturally, everything follows Wang Xiao's orders. When Zhang Jun came, they really didn't have any ideas. They just listened to Wang Xiaolie.
What Wang Xiaolie is most worried about is that if Zhang Jun breaks up his army, things will be very complicated later.
This time Zhang Jun came north with nearly 2,000 soldiers and more than 10,000 Wang Yan's Eight-Character Army accompanying him. The army was powerful. But it can't be compared with Wang Ruohai from before. Wang Ruohai was alone, so Wang Xiaolie could do whatever he wanted.
I thought about it again and again, but couldn't think of any solution. In the end, Wang Xiaolie had no choice but to say: "That's all. Please follow the etiquette to welcome Privy Councilor Zhang this time. The Privy Council may talk to you when he arrives. Remember, our army is not easy to build and must not be dispersed."
Everyone said yes. Talked some more gossip. Wang Xiaolie prepared a banquet and invited several people to drink.
It’s leap August this year. On the fifth day of the eighth lunar month, Chen Gui, the prefect of De'an, and Han Yan, the prefect of Fuzhou, arrived at Xiangyang Prefecture. It was already dark by then, and Wang Xiaolie arranged for them to rest in preparation for giving them a break the next day. Unexpectedly, the next day, the Jingmen Army Zhijun arrived again. Together, Wang Xiaolie prepared a banquet at a riverside restaurant to entertain the few.
Sitting down in the pavilion, Chen Gui said: "Last winter when Yang Jin came south, people in several states were panicked. Fortunately, Wang Zhan led an army south and wiped out Yang Jin by the Han River. At that time, everyone was competing to see how brave he was. Unfortunately, none of them could do it. See you. When I arrived at Xiangyang Mansion today, I realized that such a young man is really promising! Bandits are rising in the world now. As long as the few of us work together, we can definitely keep the peace of the place."
Chen Gui is nearly sixty years old, and his beard and hair are all white. It's just that his eyes are so sharp that people dare not look directly at him. Since the Jingkang period, when he led troops to serve the king and returned to De'an Mansion again, he has maintained De'an as impregnable as ever. In the past few years, countless thieves have attacked De'an, but they have been unable to do anything about it. It was precisely the old rules that guarded the south side of Xiangyang in De'an Mansion.
Wang Xiao did not dare to hunt. He raised his hands and said to everyone: "I am the youngest, how dare I make a mistake in front of you? During the Jingkang period, my father led the soldiers from the country to the capital for King Qin. They fought for a long time, and finally died on the battlefield. The soldiers and horses of King Qin under him were all brothers from my hometown, and they supported me as their leader. General, all the way back from Kaifeng Mansion. Who would have thought that Yang Jin would rebel and attack Luoyang. Fortunately, Taiwei Zhai and I worked together to wipe out Yang Jin's troops. Speaking of which, it has been a lot of hard work in the past few years. Now in Xiangyang Mansion , it’s a blessing to finally settle down.”
Chen Gui said: "The observation is correct. During the Jingkang period, I also led troops to Beijing to serve the king. Because the road was blocked, I had to return. I didn't want a group of thieves to besiege the city, and the officers and soldiers fled one after another, so I had to lead the country soldiers to defend the city. In a few years, I didn't want to That’s what it is today.”
Xie Qian was originally a general of the Western Army. He recruited people to work in the fields and trained ordnance in the Jingmen Army, so that thieves around him did not dare to approach the Jingmen Army. This year I heard about what Wang Xiaolie did in Xiangyang, and I was confused. Until the wheat harvest a few days ago, I heard that Xiangyang had a good harvest and the people were happy, but they couldn't understand it. He said to Wang Xiaolie: "I have been in the Jingmen Army for two years, recruiting people to cultivate idle fields. Let them farm when they are busy and train in their free time. The state army has been very effective. Recently, the people have been somewhat dissatisfied under the rule. It is better to observe the situation. Xiangyang did it. I heard and observed that the people were exempted from miscellaneous taxes and heavy taxes, and no money was collected. The people in Xiangyang only harvested three bushels per acre a year from farming, and then went out for fifty days of labor, and there was no crime in the rest of the autumn. I don’t know if it is true or not. ?”
Wang Xiaolie said: "What Zhijun said is true. The people work hard in farming, so they should be given ample food and clothing."
Xie Qian frowned and said: "Of course we officials hope that the people under our rule will be happy. But we only charge three dou per acre, and then there is the labor force. Where does the government's money come from? I heard and observed that there are a lot of soldiers, and raising soldiers is the most expensive. The common people receive very little and need money to support the army. How can we do this?"
Wang Xiaolie said with a smile: "The government's money comes from industrial and commercial taxes. In addition, there are some government-run businesses, which can make money if they are done well. The farmers here only pay money and work hard, and the government will find another way to make money." .”
Jie Qian looked at the others and said: "Making money is not easy! The Jingmen Army only has less than two thousand soldiers. In order to support them, my hair has turned gray in the past two years! No matter how you look at your mouth, it is actually very easy!"
Wang Xiaolie was silent for a moment and said: "I don't know about other places. In Xiangyang Mansion and Dengzhou, most of the money and food produced by the people under their rule are concentrated in the hands of the government. With this money and food, it is actually more than enough to raise troops. It's just that Everything is new and everything is not easy. There was a big winter wheat harvest two months ago, and the prefectures on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River were short of grain again, so I had some money after selling grain."
Jie Qian still doesn’t understand. Wang Xiao hunted and farmed, and he also farmed. Why do the people here live in peace and contentment? The government has food and the people have money. But because of your hard work, it is difficult for the government to get food, and the people have no money left to pay back?
Not only were the others trying to solve the problem, the others were also puzzled. Everyone has heard that Wang Xiaolie reduced taxes on a large scale under his rule, but when he arrived at Xiangyang Mansion, he saw that the place was extremely prosperous. What is the reason for this?
