The heroes in the first two places were a little unimpressed. It was not until they arrived at the East City Gate that their faces became shocked and even ugly.
Qiongdu City has gone through many wars, and the city walls are naturally damaged. As the county governor, Yang Qing, of course, has strict requirements for Qiongdu's city defense. These damaged wall sections not only need to be repaired, but also further reinforced.
This kind of hard work has always been done by collecting corvees, but Yang Qing felt that this method of consuming people's power should not be used if it could be avoided.
And using money to hire young men to do this seems a bit extravagant and wasteful. Fortunately, after several battles, many prisoners of the barbarian soldiers were captured. If we don't let them work at this time, is it possible to keep them in vain?
In fact, after successive battles, almost more than 5,000 barbarian soldiers were captured, which just happened to drive them to do some hard work such as repairing cities, building bridges and paving roads. Now these prisoners are divided into several groups and are being moved to Anshang, Qiongdu, Dinglu, etc. They work in the fields, and mining iron ore and digging roads in the future will be inseparable from them.
Of course, Yang Qing also gave them some hope. For serious crimes, they would be sent to hard labor for three or five years.
Recently, most of the prisoners in Qiongdu have been concentrated in the east city to repair the city defenses. They are in ragged clothes, with yellow faces and skinny muscles. They carry stones with anklets. If they walk a little slowly, the supervising soldier on the side will pick up a whip and whip them.
Although they were not members of the family, Wei Lang and others felt sad after seeing such a scene. They could not help but feel sad that a rabbit would die and a fox would die. The consequences of starting an army and rebelling were so terrible.
The last place is the military camp of the county soldiers, where Lei Xiong and Liu Yin are stationed, while the Qiang soldiers' camp is outside the east city. Half of the 4,000 Han and Qiang coalition troops who went south to recapture Qiongdu and other places were stationed in Dinglu under the command of Zhang Yi, so there were only 1,000 county soldiers in Qiongdu.
Although the number of troops in the camp is small, they are all elite warriors with complete armor and majestic appearance. The soaring murderous intent during the practice formation made all the heroes tremble with fear, especially Lei Xiong's armored soldiers wielding seventy-two rings. When the first knife was used to demonstrate how to cut iron into clay, even the arrogant and arrogant Wei Lang was shocked and couldn't help but tremble in fear.
The Han people have such powerful troops and weapons, how can King Gaoding be undefeated? A group of powerful commanders finally knew the reason why Gaoding's tens of thousands of troops were defeated. They knew that the county soldiers were powerful, but they didn't expect them to be so powerful. If they were to fight against them, their tribe might not be safe.
Wei Lang and others had not come to their senses after returning to the hotel. They were still looking frightened. When Wang Yi and Yang Xi told them to go to the banquet on time in the evening, everyone only agreed.
"Haha, it seems that the effect of our design is good." After listening to the two people's reports, Yang Qing smiled happily.
Wang Yi also smiled and said: "The strategy of the prince is too clever. There are both inducements and threats in the four places. Under the combination of kindness and power, these tyrannical commanders have no choice but to be convinced."
"Yeah, it's very interesting to see their faces light up and darken."
Yang Qingdao: "To deal with the Yi people, we must not only show them kindness, but also show them power. The best way to use both kindness and power is to use both kindness and power. There are many Yi people in a county in Yuexi. If we can recruit them to cultivate farmland, open roads, harvest crops, etc." Salt and iron, knowledge of writing, knowledge of etiquette, and enlightenment can supplement the country's needs in the short term, and can transform people into kings in the long term, which will be beneficial to the country and the people."
"I admire you for your far-sighted plans and humble position." Wang Yi stood up and saluted.
Yang Qingdao: "Achieving these things does not happen overnight. Let's just say that this afternoon, although Wei Lang and others were shocked, once they return to the tribe, their feelings will be different from today. So tonight I will wait. We have to strike while the iron is hot, we will need public help at the banquet later."
"Don't worry, Mr. Fu, we will do our best." Wang Yi and Wang Yi said in unison.
Yang Qing nodded, looked at Yang Xi and asked, "How are the preparations for the banquet going?"
"I just went to check it out. The banquet will start in about an hour."
"Very good, you two should go back and have a rest first. You will have a good time with those handsome men tonight."
The two responded: "Promise."
The evening breeze is blowing gently, the moon is in the sky, the stars are shining brightly, and the candles are shining brightly. It is really a beautiful autumn night picture.
The lights were brightly lit in the lobby, and tables were neatly arranged. The officers and men of the various ministries took their seats and greeted each other. Waiters and maids shuttled around, placing all the delicacies, fine wines and fresh brews on the table. The musicians and artists showed off their skills, and the sound of silk and bamboo surrounded the inside and outside.
"Your Majesty is here." A waiter shouted loudly.
"I've met Mr. Fu." Everyone looked at Yang Qing who was approaching and stood up to pay his respects.
Yang Qing raised his right hand and said with a smile: "You don't have to be polite, just sit down."
"For the peace and prosperity of Yue Xi, I would like to toast you all." Yang Qing picked up the wine glass and toasted.
Everyone raised their glasses and responded in unison: "Jing Fu Jun."
"Haha, with your help, I will be more prosperous than I am." Yang Qing drank the wine in one gulp, and then said: "You don't have to be formal, just feel free to do whatever you want."
As the stopped sound of silk and bamboo played again, the atmosphere in the hall became lively. After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Yang Qing saw that the time was almost up and waved his hand for the dancers and musicians to leave.
"Wei Langhao is handsome, how is the afternoon going?" Yang Qing asked with a slight smile on his face.
Wei Lang put down his chopsticks and replied respectfully: "The city is well organized and full of atmosphere. The officers and soldiers are majestic and orderly, and their combat power is strong. This shows the ability of the ruler. I am deeply impressed."
"Well, this is still a long way from the stability of the entire Yuexi." Yang Qing sighed and continued: "I intend to open separate markets in Qiongdu, Dingcheng and other places to facilitate the exchange of goods between the Han and Yi tribes. You are also willing to teach tribes to open up wasteland and farm, and you are also willing to set up schools to teach Yi children how to write. I wonder what you think?"
"We will obey the order of the prince." These measures indeed sounded beneficial to the Han and Yi tribes, and the heroes had no reason to object. What's more, they met the prisoners of war and county soldiers in the afternoon. Even though they thought they were being deceived, I didn’t dare to speak out against it.
In fact, this is an upright conspiracy. How can the tribes oppose it under the general trend? As for the deepest purpose, they can't see it based on their current knowledge, so Yang Qing can do it as much as he wants.
"Brother Haolangcen, I heard that most of the salt wells and iron mines in Dinglu are under your rule. The law of the Han Dynasty stipulates that salt and iron are the exclusive property of the imperial court. After returning, these mines should be handed over to the government. Anyway, it is a waste to mine them with your tribe's skills. ." Yang Qing looked at the handsome man behind Wei Lang and suddenly said in a condensed voice.
Yang Qing did not forget Pu Yuan's advice to him to find high-quality iron ore before leaving Chengdu. Yueqi County's salt and iron are mainly produced in Dinglu, Taideng and Beishui counties. These three counties are even rich in lacquer.
In the past, these salt, iron, and paint materials were all taken for themselves by the barbarians. However, with the defeat of Gaoding, Taideng and Beishui have been completely controlled by the government. Today, only the salt and iron in Dingchang are still controlled by Yi Shuaihao Langcen.
At this time, Yang Qing suddenly attacked, just to catch him off guard and make him surrender with today's power.
Hao Langcen was furious when he heard this. Although his family's mining technology was rough and difficult, what he gained in the end was all his own. These salt and iron were the bulk of his tribe's foundation, so how could he just spit them out like this?
He was about to open his mouth to object when he suddenly saw a cold gaze coming from the person in charge. He raised his head and took a closer look, only to see Yang Qingzheng looking at him with a half-smile. He suddenly remembered what he had seen and heard in the afternoon, and thought of the indestructible The armored soldiers suddenly felt fear in their hearts.
"Master Fu, the Yanjing Iron Mine in Dinglu was passed down from my old age, little man..." Hao Langcen still wanted to struggle, but his tone couldn't help but become submissive.
Yang Qing waved his right hand, interrupted him and said: "The county will not let you suffer. Your ministry can send people to work in the mines. In addition to paying the wages, you are allowed to buy the salt and iron produced at half price. "
"But Mr. Fu..."
"Um?"
Seeing Yang Qing staring at him with dissatisfaction, Hao Langcen did not dare to say the next words. Seeing Wei Lang and others acting like it had nothing to do with them, he knew that he was alone and could not help himself, so he could only reluctantly respond: "Yes. , I will obey the Lord’s orders in everything.”
"Haha, that's right, such are the good subjects of my big man." Yang Qing's cold face quickly retreated, and he turned to smile.
"Everyone, Wang Gongcao and Chief Yang will discuss these measures to benefit the people in detail tomorrow. We will get drunk tonight before resting, please."
Everyone returned the greeting and said, "Your Majesty, please."
The next day, Wang Yi, Yang Xi and others began to discuss the details with a group of powerful commanders on various matters such as establishing a market for trade, mining salt and iron, setting up schools, recruiting barbarian soldiers, etc. Under Yang Qing's kindness and power, after two days of bargaining, The government and various tribes reluctantly agreed on regulations for cooperation.
Yang Qing knew that this matter would be repeated, but it was not easy to achieve this step at present. As for future changes, it would just be a matter of trial and error.
