The land leasing order was successfully implemented, Wang Zitong ceased his activities, and the people who were allocated the land diligently opened up wasteland and planted seeds. Fengchuan County spent two months in peace.
But this peace did not last long, and was broken by a sudden rumor:
Beiyan is ready to make a move, and seems to be planning to use troops on the border of Daliang again.
Langzhou is located at the border of Daliang. Although Fengchuan County is a border town, it is not actually the forefront and is considered the hinterland of Langzhou.
Even so, the rumors of Beiyan's invasion still caused a stir in the city, and the people in the streets were talking about it:
Every time Beiyan uses troops, the people at the border will suffer a lot.
Even Gu Sinian was no exception. He and Zeng Lingchuan got together and said curiously:
"What, is Beiyan so scary? I, Daliang, can't defeat him? Why are people in the city so scared?"
"My lord, you don't know something."
Zeng Lingchuan said softly:
"Although Beiyan was founded only a short time ago, all the people are martial and aggressive. Beiyan's cavalry swept across the Mobei grassland for decades, winning every battle and conquering every attack. Hundreds of tribes, large and small, all surrendered.
I, Daliang, also relied on military force to build a country, but after all, peace has lasted for a long time, and the military equipment has weakened. In terms of the combat strength of the border army, it is still not as good as Beiyan. "
Zeng Lingchuan, who had served as a soldier, had a very intuitive judgment on the strength of both sides.
"so smart?"
Gu Sinian was full of suspicion:
"Didn't you fight against Beiyan Manzi?
Tell me what's so great about them. "
Gu Sinian, who had never heard such news before, was very curious.
Wu Xiang's eyes flashed with lingering fear, and he murmured:
"Although the country of Beiyan has many cities and passes like ours, most of them are endless grasslands, and most people make a living by grazing.
The grasslands are rich in good horses, so the soldiers of the Northern Yan Dynasty have been proficient in riding and shooting since they were young. We have many infantry in the Central Plains, so we are naturally at a disadvantage.
In addition, the barbarian soldiers were ferocious. After many years of war, they were accustomed to conquering immediately and killed without blinking an eye.
There were more than a dozen people from my hometown, and all of them died in the first battle with Yan Bing.
I personally saw three people from our side besieging a Yan army, but they failed to win in the end. Two were hacked to death and one escaped. "
The two of them were silent and depressed. This was a past event that they did not want to recall.
"So cruel?"
Gu Sinian was shocked. Coming from a peaceful and prosperous age, he had never experienced such a scene.
Zeng Lingchuan continued:
"Because of this confidence, Beiyan has repeatedly harassed our border with Daliang. We have lost more and won less. Every time, we have given the Yan people a lot of money and food to seek peace and calm down the troubles.
It’s the common people who are suffering~
Alas~"
A long sigh, full of resentment and unwillingness.
Wu Xiang muttered:
"Over the years, Prince Pingling is the only one who can win foreign wars, and a royal prince can gallop on the battlefield, which is admirable.
What a pity, why was my house confiscated? "
When he heard the words "Prince Pingling", Gu Sinian's eyes changed. He didn't expect that his "father" was so powerful.
"Silence!"
Zeng Lingchuan glared at him: "These are things we can talk about? Do you want to die without causing trouble to Master Gu!"
Wu Xiang shrank his head, such a shocking case was really unexplainable.
But these two people didn't know that Gu Sinian in front of them had a close relationship with Prince Pingling.
"If you don't have a strong fist, you can only be bullied."
Gu Sinian drooped his head:
"It sounds like officials have a responsibility. They just want to live a stable life and don't want to make progress. They use the common people as a shield."
Zeng Lingchuan suddenly brightened his eyes and said:
"Master Gu, why don't you become an official?"
"yes!"
Wu Xiang also echoed:
"With your abilities, a mere Dianshi is really an underachievement. If you become an official, you will definitely be a good official!"
Just from the implementation of a land rental order, the two of them could tell that Gu Sinian was not only smart and capable, but also a person who was willing to consider the poor people.
If he becomes an official, he will be a blessing to the people.
Gu Sinian smiled bitterly:
"Being an official? That's too easy to say. I also want to be an official, but it's a pity that I'm just a petty official now.
Is it possible that I still need to take the exam to gain fame? The county examination and the township examination will have to wait until the year of the monkey and the month of the horse. "
"You don't necessarily have to obtain meritorious service to be an official."
Zeng Lingchuan dragged his chin and said casually:
“In the past, many of the generals in the army could not read a single word, let alone their titles, but they could still serve as officials.
There are wars at every turn on the border, and military service is also a way to become an official~
After earning military merit, you can become a general or something like that. If you are favored by the powerful and transferred to the officialdom, you can take the path of a civilian official. "
Wu Xiang glared at Zeng Lingchuan and said:
"What are you talking about? Mr. Gu is a scholar and a pen maker. How can he go to a place like a battlefield?"
"That's right~"
The two of them were chattering away, but Gu Sinian's heart was already filled with turmoil.
It turns out that you have to not only obtain meritorious service to become an official, but also have military merit!
The evil spirit in the body suddenly emerged, impacting Gu Sinian's thoughts again:
Join the army! Be an official! revenge! Wash away the grievances!
Gu Sinian's brain exploded, but his eyes had become deep and he murmured:
"Maybe you can give it a try~"
"Master Gu, what are you talking about?"
The two of them looked at Gu Sinian, who was lost in thought, with doubts on their faces.
"Ahem, it's nothing."
Gu Sinian suddenly woke up, waved his hands and said:
"Nothing, nothing, let's continue talking~"
"Brother Nian, Brother Nian!"
Xiao Liuzi's voice rang out at the right time, and he said urgently:
"Brother Nian, Mr. Chen asked you to go to the county government immediately to discuss matters!"
"What's up?"
"I don't know, the county chief secretary and the others are all gone."
Gu Sinian frowned, was there another trouble?
…
Gu Sinian, who hurried to the county government office, noticed something was not right as soon as he entered the door:
Feng Tao, Gu Su, Song Ping, and Wang Zitong all arrived, and they were all silent. Chen Hongxin, who was in charge, was even more sad.
This made Gu Sinian, who originally wanted to say hello to each other, shut his mouth and quietly found a chair to sit down.
"Everyone is here, let's get started."
Chen Hongxin rubbed the corners of his astringent eyes and raised his head:
"Early this morning, I received an official document from the Langzhou government.
A convoy of wealthy businessmen heading to Langzhou was robbed by bandits when passing by Langya Mountain, and all their belongings were robbed. "
"Is it Langya Mountain again?"
Song Ping, the boss of the capital, suddenly frowned:
"These bandits are too wild!"
Langya Mountain?
After all, Gu Sinian had just arrived in Fengchuan County not long ago. He knew that Langya Mountain was indeed within the jurisdiction of Fengchuan County. It was only forty or fifty miles away from the county seat to the north, but he had never heard that there was another place in this place. bandit.
Gu Su, who noticed Gu Sinian's doubts, lowered his voice and said:
"Langzhou is a border area with many refugees and disaster victims. Some people cannot survive and have no choice but to go up to the mountains and become bandits.
However, in the past, the bandits on Langya Mountain could only fight on a small scale and rob some lone traders. This time, they dared to attack the caravan in Langzhou. They became more and more courageous! "
Gu Sinian nodded thoughtfully, so that was what happened.
Feng Tao on the side said in shock:
"Master Chen, the city has not heard of this news. Why did the Langzhou government know about it before us?"
"Because the escaped coachman ran directly back to Langzhou and reported the news."
Chen Hongxin said in a deep voice:
"Now there are signs of war on the border, and the people are panicked. There must be no chaos within the territory, so the Langzhou government asked us to eliminate the bandits on Langya Mountain as soon as possible and regain the property!"
"The bandits in Langya Mountain are difficult to deal with."
Feng Tao was worried:
"Although there aren't many of them, Langya Mountain is so big that if you dig into the mountain, you won't be able to find anyone. We have tried to clear them out many times in the past years but all failed."
“Even if it’s difficult, we have to do it!”
Chen Hongxin looked at the crowd and said:
"Langzhou is in a hurry this time. No matter how much effort it takes, we will uproot this group of bandits!"
Gu Sinian glanced at Chen Hongxin. He rarely saw Chen Hongxin with such a solemn expression. It seemed that there was a lot of pressure from Langzhou.
Everyone looked at Song Ping subconsciously. It must be the government officials who were responsible for suppressing bandits.
"Ahem."
The old man coughed a few times and said:
"Don't worry, sir. In the next two days, I will summon the young and strong officials to go to Langya Mountain to suppress the bandits."
Wang Zitong, who had been silent, finally spoke:
"Tou Song, you have been feeling cold these days and your body is weak. What if something goes wrong when you go to this deep mountain and old forest?
Otherwise I'd better go. "
Everyone saw that Song Ping's face was indeed a little bad, he kept coughing, and he was already in his sixties or seventies. It was really unreasonable for him to lead a team to suppress bandits.
"You are the bad guy and are in charge of the prison. Suppressing bandits has nothing to do with you."
Song Ping waved his hand:
"I am the leader. If there is any problem with the public security in Fengchuan County, I should be the one to deal with it."
"But how can your body withstand the cold in the mountains?"
"It's okay, I'm not disabled."
The two of them were arguing back and forth, but Wang Zitong cared very much about my own comfort and refused to give in.
Several adults were very confused. It was really inappropriate to go to Song Ping. What if something unexpected happened?
But Wang Zitong is also a reckless man who does things without thinking. If he leaves the task of suppressing bandits to him, everyone is worried. If he turns back and delays the mission assigned by Langzhou, everyone will suffer.
"You two, stop arguing, I'll go."
Gu Sinian interrupted the two of them:
"Song Dutou is sick, how can he leave the city? Wang Tou also has a lot of things to deal with in the prison, and he can't get away.
If a few adults agree, let me try it. "
There was a hint of silence in the room. Even though he was a civil servant, they had all heard about breaking Niu Erhu's leg. This young man was by no means as weak as he looked on the outside. He was also intelligent and capable of both literary and military skills.
Looking at the entire Fengchuan County, he is the best candidate to lead the team.
Wang Zitong also closed his mouth, his eyes rolling and he didn't know what he was thinking.
Chen Hongxin actually wanted Gu Sinian to go, but he did not agree on the spot. Instead, he asked Song Ping for his opinion:
"What do you think of Song Dutou?"
Song Ping hesitated:
"Gu Dianshi is a civil servant after all, and he is unfamiliar with the place..."
"Song head." Gu Sinian smiled and said:
"What's new is that it's familiar again. Besides, I'm not familiar with the terrain. The county officials should be familiar with it, right?
We are young people, and we must rush to the front if something happens. How can we be cowardly? "
"That's fine."
Song Ping nodded heavily and said:
"Then I'll trouble you, Gu Dianshi. I'll make all the county officials obey your orders! Suppress the bandits with all your strength!"
"Thank you Songtou!"
"Then it's settled!"
Seeing that the two had reached an agreement, Chen Hongxin waved his hand:
“That’s it for the discussion, let’s go back and prepare for the suppression of the bandits.
Gu Dianshi, please stay here! "
"promise!"
