To the west of Yangfeng County, more than thirty miles away, dust was flying on the loess official road. Under the scorching sun, a team of hundreds of people marched towards the county seat.
Most of this team is composed of soldiers wearing leather armor and holding swords and guns, and the rest are almost all police officers wearing soap clothes.
The weather was so hot that everyone in the group was sweating profusely. Many people couldn't bear the heat and wanted to take off their clothes to cool off. However, they gave up the idea after looking at the person at the front of the line, so they had better endure it.
Your Majesty has an order, please be vigilant on the way home. It is strictly forbidden to take off your clothes and armor to give the enemy an opportunity. Anyone who disobeys the order will be beaten with thirty military sticks!
In such weather and with such an order, many people were grumbling, but the order had been issued, and it was a bit uncomfortable, but it was better than being beaten with thirty military sticks.
Thirty army sticks, half of his life was lost after being beaten.
The atmosphere of this team was not enthusiastic. Firstly, it was due to the weather, and secondly, their trip was obviously not going well. Many people were injured, and there were even more than ten corpses!
The officers and soldiers are traveling, and it is such a big battle. It is definitely not an outing...
At the front of the team, the leader looked to be in his thirties. He had an elegant face and a very bookish air. He was obviously a scholar, but there was a trace of murderous intent in his eyes, which made people fearful.
This man is wearing iron armor, with a sword hanging from his waist, sitting on a yellow gelding, with a bow and arrow on the horse, and a dark cloak behind him that makes a sound. This appearance does not look like a scholar, but more like a warrior in the army.
He is Zhou Yu, Yunjing's old friend who came to Yangfeng County to visit this time.
As the leader of a county, he did not care about taking other officers and soldiers out in the face of the disaster, and what he did was by no means an easy matter.
Zhou Yu has changed a lot. It only took more than a year. He no longer looks like a young master. His skin has become darker, his eyes have become calmer and deeper, and there are actually wrinkles in the corners of his eyes.
With such a big change, it is conceivable that his career as an official for more than a year was not so beautiful. As an official, some people enjoy happiness while others suffer from it. There is a big difference.
Zhou Yu, who was dressed in iron armor, was sweating profusely and felt very uncomfortable, but his face remained calm and did not show any signs of it. As the chief officer of this trip, he must set an example.
The purpose of his trip with his officers and soldiers was to suppress bandits, a group of hateful horse bandits. However, the start was not successful. After a fight, each of them suffered injuries, but the group of horse bandits escaped.
This is not a good thing for him. More than ten people he brought out have died, and he will be under a lot of pressure if he has no tangible results. If the superiors blame him, if he doesn't like him, he will be seriously embarrassed.
It is not impossible to remove an official from office!
He had thought about the consequences of this before setting off, but there was a reason why he had to do it...
The scholars of this era were not weak scholars. They could rule the world with their pens and kill enemies on horseback. Even though Zhou Yu was less than thirty years old, he had acquired advanced skills. This time he went out to suppress bandits and was always on the front line.
There is a garrison in Yangfeng County, not many, and he took part of it with him during this trip. He is a civilian official, with a rank higher than that of a military attache. After asking for instructions from his superiors, he became the commander-in-chief of this trip.
But after careful planning, the desired results were not obtained at all.
Not many people know how much pressure Zhou Yu is feeling now. The gang of horse bandits will not be eliminated and they are causing chaos everywhere. There will be no peace in the future, especially when the gang of horse bandits got the news from unknown sources. A few days ago, many people were killed.
Something important has been stolen. If it is not recovered, the consequences will be extremely serious!
Now that the drought is severe, the dynasty issued a batch of relief money and grain. This was originally an extremely confidential matter, but a gang of horse bandits found out about it, and unexpectedly ambush them on the only way to pass and robbed them away.
Without that batch of life-saving money and food, what would happen to so many victims in Yangfeng County? Therefore, knowing that this trip was dangerous, Zhou Yu had to lead his officers and soldiers to suppress the bandits, but it backfired. After some actions, the horse bandits failed to be wiped out.
They could not be recovered, and many of the people they took were killed or injured.
Looking up at the bright sun in the sky, and then looking back at the dejected officers and soldiers, Zhou Yu said in a deep voice: "Everyone listen to your orders and speed up your pace. Rest for a quarter of an hour in the shade of the mountain a mile ahead before returning to the city. You must return before the sun goes down.
To the city”
When they heard that they could rest, the following officers and soldiers suddenly showed joy, and many even shouted out your wise words.
Soon the group arrived at the resting place. Zhou Yu ordered the patrols to prevent the horse bandits from invading, and then came to the edge alone in a daze. Only when he was alone did his eyes appear tired and worried.
"The transportation route for disaster relief money and food is a secret. I only knew it one day in advance. How did the horse bandits know about it? Moreover, today's anti-bandit operation was kept secret before departure. They obviously had advance information before they could reach the horse bandits.
They were prepared to handle it and leave calmly..."
With such thoughts flashing through his mind, Zhou Yu felt extremely depressed and couldn't help but rub his eyebrows.
These things are definitely not coincidences. Although he is very reluctant to think in that direction, but now it seems that there is no other possibility other than a traitor.
Although he, Zhou Yu, is a local official, he is a foreigner. Although he has established a firm foothold now, to put it bluntly, he is still very different from many people below. It is not impossible for someone to stumble him.
Also, if he wants to be a good official, he will definitely touch the interests of some people. It seems that many people want to get rid of him quickly!
"Now that the people are suffering, there are still people who do such evil things, don't let me find out!" Zhou Yu said fiercely in his heart.
So who is behind the scenes? Figures flashed through Zhou Yu's mind. Is it the Wang family, the largest grain dealer in the county, or is it the garrison captain Yang Kou Zizhong? Or is it the local wealthy Fang family, or even worse?
The Liu family wants to seize the county's water source and cause conflict...
When thinking of those possible people, Zhou Yu just thought about it and couldn't count them without evidence.
'When the leader of the horse bandits left before, he said that I was about to die without knowing it. It seems that someone wants to attack me directly. Can I take advantage of it...'
His mind flickered, and Zhou Yu had many thoughts flashing through his head. As a scholar, and a scholar who had won the title of Juren, Zhou Yu was naturally not an idiot. He was not afraid of conspiracy, conspiracy, or intrigue. The only thing that made him entangled was
It is hard to govern the people.
Youdao is that unruly people come out of poverty. A cold look flashed across Zhou Yu's face. Four county magistrates died in Yangfeng County in just ten years. The deaths seemed reasonable, but many of the details could not withstand scrutiny!
If everyone hadn't avoided Yangfeng County, how could Zhou Yu have gotten the chance to come here to be the county magistrate if he wanted connections but no connections, and money but no money?
Originally, during this trip to suppress bandits, Zhou Yu would have achieved good results even if the troublesome gang was prepared. However, the troubling point was that the gang of horse bandits saw that the situation was amiss and ran across the border from the mountains to the Golden Wolf Dynasty.
There's nothing he can do. He can't lead people into another country. Unless he wants to provoke a war, he can't bear the consequences. However, the horse bandits don't have so many worries.
After almost resting, Zhou Yu ordered everyone to continue returning to the city. The rest went smoothly, and they returned to Yangfeng County without any danger. When entering the city, Zhou Yu even dismounted and went into the victims to understand their situation, such as whether they had porridge or not.
Distributed on time and in quantity, etc., and received the gratitude of many people.
This is not a show by Zhou Yu, but a sincere understanding. Only after understanding can he designate a series of follow-up measures. Since the beginning of the disaster, he has personally intervened at least once a day, even if he doesn't have time.
It can be said that there is no leisure for a moment after hard work. It is inevitable that he will age so quickly. If he didn't really want to do something practical, as the head of a county, no matter how bitter and cold Yangfeng County is, wouldn't it be easy to live a pampered life?
Returning to the county government residence, Zhou Yu took off his military uniform, washed himself briefly, and then immediately sent for his confidant butler.
When Zhou Yu came to Yangfeng County to be an official, he did not bring his family, but he did not come alone either. He only brought a confidant butler to help him share some of the pressure.
This confidant butler is the book boy he grew up with, is his current butler, and is also his master's staff after becoming the county magistrate. After many years of relationship, it can be said that he is the most trusted person in Yangfeng County.
.
Zhou Yu's book boy is about the same age as him, even two years older. His surname is Hou and his given name is Duofu. He is average-looking. He is unsmiling at ordinary times and works seriously and steadily. He is neither eager for quick success nor clever. It is safe to use such a person, otherwise
Zhou Yu wouldn't bring him here either. If his confidant is the kind of person who makes his own decisions, that would be a headache.
"The master is back, is this trip going smoothly?" Hou Duofu asked with concern immediately after arriving. After all, the relationship between master and servant is prosperous. If Zhou Yu has good political performance and his status will rise in the future, as a confidant, he can follow the chicken and dog to heaven.
Facing his confidants, Zhou Yu put aside his usual pretense, shook his head and said: "The results of this trip are far from the purpose..." After briefly describing the situation, Zhou Yu asked: "Duofu, what do you think of this matter?"
After a slight hesitation, Hou Duofu frowned and said, "Sir, there are many doubts about your trip. Just because the horse bandits were prepared in advance will be a big problem!"
"It seems that you are thinking the same thing as me. There is a traitor who is communicating with the horse bandit, and there is a lot of energy behind it. Otherwise, it would be impossible to know our actions and the transportation routes of relief money and food. There are only a handful of such people in the entire county.
!" Zhou Yu said with twinkling eyes.
Hou Duofu said: "Without evidence, subordinates dare not make random guesses. Everything is decided by the master."
"Okay, let's not talk about this. The fox will always show its tail. Then we will catch them all. Let's see who can laugh at the end. Tell me, what important things happened while I was away today?" Zhou Yu shook his head.
Hou Duofu immediately took out his notebook, opened it, and said, "Sir, there are indeed a few things that you need to handle personally today. There was a fire in a house in the west of the city. It was man-made. It was a thief who failed to steal and set fire to escape. However, he was caught on fire.
They were caught on the spot. In addition, more than a dozen victims got into a fight over a quarrel. Two people died and the quarrel reached the Yamen. Two families lost their children and were suspected of being abducted by traffickers. Another victim was beaten because he offended the young master of the Fang family.
, died soon after, and the relatives of the victims filed a lawsuit with the Yamen. The young master of the Fang family said that the other party was slanderous, and he just gave him a lesson. He was fine with the separation, but he accused the other party of blackmail... All these require your intervention, master."
Hearing this, Zhou Yu couldn't help but rub his eyebrows. Being an official is not that easy. There are too many things like this that need to be dealt with every day. It can be said that there is no time to spare. If you let it go, it will only accumulate.
After going out to suppress bandits today, Zhou Yu was exhausted physically and mentally. He thought for a while and said, "Notify me, and we will open a court to investigate the case early tomorrow morning, so that relevant personnel can be prepared. Those who have stolen stolen goods will be interrogated in accordance with the law, and those who gather to cause trouble will be interrogated in accordance with the law."
, in extraordinary times, whoever takes action first is unreasonable, and it will be judged according to how it should be judged. However, in order to prevent similar incidents from happening again, the other side has to beat them. Those who lost their children can only issue documents and try their best to find them. Now it is really
We can't spare any manpower. As for the Fang family... Humph, it's getting more and more excessive. Let the corpse be used for autopsy. If they are really beaten to death, they will never tolerate it. Hey, even if they are really beaten to death, the young master of the Fang family will never do it himself.
There is nothing you can do about pushing someone to push someone up against a vat, but to appease the family of the deceased, you need to bleed from the Fang family!"
After hearing what he said, Hou Duofu nodded and said nothing more, but he hesitated to speak.
Zhou Yu asked: "Why are you hesitating? If you have something to say, just tell me."
"Back to Master, someone sent me a greeting card today. It was said that your old friend wanted to come to visit, but I am physically and mentally exhausted. I really don't want to delay your rest because of such a trivial matter," Hou Duofu replied.
Smiling, Zhou Yu said: "My old friend came to visit? There have been too many such people in recent times. I think they are all profit-seeking people. If you don't see me, please refuse. Please use more tactful words."
"Okay, sir, I'm going back now," Hou Duofu nodded.
When he turned to leave, Zhou Yu asked by the way: "By the way, who is the person who sent the greeting card?"
"I have never heard of a person named Yunjing," Hou Duofu said casually. Hou Duofu was not there when Yunjing and Zhou Yu were playing, and Zhou Yu would not talk to him about such a personal relationship.
explain.
Hearing this, Zhou Yu was stunned, thinking that he heard wrongly, and said in shock: "Who?"
"Yun Jingyun keeps his heart, that's what it says on the greeting card," Hou Duofu turned around and said, very curious about his master's reaction.
His face straightened, Zhou Yu quickly asked: "But that Yun Shouxin from Niujiao Town, Xinlin County in the south?"
"Yes, sir, that's what it said on the greeting card," Hou Duofu said. Thinking about it, he took the greeting card out of his sleeve and handed it over. He was ready to take it away and put it aside to reply to the letter casually.
Taking it, Zhou Yu quickly browsed the greetings and said in surprise: "It's really Brother Yun. I almost missed him. Where is he? Come quickly, no, I'll go see him directly after I take a shower and change clothes, eh
, the greeting card stated his final destination."
"Uh, sir, isn't it necessary?" Hou Duofu said hesitantly.
Smiling, Zhou Yu said a little excitedly: "You don't understand, it's absolutely necessary. Quickly ask someone to prepare bath supplies for me."
"Okay, sir..." Hou Duofu left quickly.
When he was alone, Zhou Yu couldn't help but clapped his hands and muttered to himself: "Why did Brother Yun come to Yangfeng County? Just by the way? It's not surprising. He dared to wander around all over the world alone. Great, Brother Yun has
Great talent, you can discuss many things with him face to face. Being a stranger in a foreign land, it’s hard to have someone you can talk to sincerely..."
In order to see the cloud scene, he specially bathed and washed, which shows that he attaches great importance to the cloud scene and is also a proper etiquette.
However, while taking a bath, Zhou Yu slowly calmed down, his eyes flickered, thinking of what the leader of the horse bandits said when he left earlier today, he felt that this was also an opportunity, but he felt a little sorry for Yun Jing, in case it turned out to be as expected.
, you must make it clear to Yunjing immediately to avoid misunderstanding, and you must make complete preparations. You must not let Yunjing suffer any harm, and you must express your apology grandly afterwards.
In Zhou Yu's current situation, he was helpless and helpless. He didn't want to give up any chance he had. If he could pull out the cancer, there would be no harm in pleading guilty afterwards...
With thoughts flickering in his mind, Zhou Yu quickly made a plan to meet Yun Jing as an old friend without mixing in other identities. It would not be suitable to bring many people with him in a big way. In this case, someone would really do something bad to him.
It is estimated that he will not miss such an opportunity, so he can use the trick to pull out the carrots and bring out the mud. Once he has a breakthrough, the next thing will be easier to handle. As long as he is given an excuse and a handle, there will be plenty of means to find out certain people.
!
Zheng was worried that there was no evidence. If he handed it over voluntarily, it would be too late for him to be happy.
But the only thing that troubled him was Yun Jing's attitude. In the final analysis, he was really ashamed of what he did. After all, he, Zhou Yu, was not the kind of person who would do anything to achieve his goals.
There is nothing wrong with being a friend to such a person, but under certain circumstances, this kind of personality can be disgraceful.
After getting ready, Zhou Yu briefly discussed it with Hou Duofu, then dressed in casual clothes and went to the place where Yun Jing was to attend the meeting alone.
When night fell, Zhou Yu left the county office in a low-key manner, and soon someone left quietly.
With Zhou Yu's instructions and reminders, the observant Hou Duofu saw this situation in his eyes and said to himself that the master is really resourceful, but he doesn't know if he can really lead the snake out of the hole, but no matter what, he has to take action and cooperate.
Good, otherwise there would be no place to cry if something really happened.
Although he was born as a scholar, Zhou Yu now has acquired advanced skills. This is one of the reasons why he dares to come to a place like Yangfeng County to take office. If he doesn't have some means, he may be dead in a place where the sky is high and the emperor is far away.
I don’t know how to die!
His strength may not be as good as those in the martial arts world who have been fighting for years, nor can he be compared with the warriors in the army who have been through life and death, but his senses are still sharp. When he left the county office, he vaguely felt that he was being watched, and his eyes were cold.
fleeting.
We are not afraid that the enemy will make some moves, but we are afraid that Lao Yincoin will not move his troops, which will give people a headache.
Darkness is the best cover. In darkness, many dark things will be exposed. Perhaps it is because darkness and shadow complement each other, giving people a sense of unawareness.
"Sir, the latest news is that the man went out alone and low-key to visit friends in the dark of night." Under the night, someone reported somewhere.
The person who heard the news stopped for a moment and asked without hesitation: "Are you really alone?"
"Absolutely true!"
"Oh, I see"
"My subordinates resign..."
The person who received the report pondered for a moment, and after his face changed, he seemed to have made some determination, and immediately called someone to make arrangements.
After giving the instructions, the man came to the window and looked at the bright moon in the sky, waiting for the news with a smile on his face, but his smile was extremely cold and penetrating.
"Often the simplest way is the most effective. Don't blame me for being cruel. If you want to blame me, blame you for stretching your hand too far. If you leave after your term of office is up, everyone will be better off, so why bother forcing each other?
Well, huh, after being rooted here for hundreds of years, how can I allow a descendant like you to judge your face? Haven’t you seen the fate of your predecessors? You originally wanted to wait until the incident of the loss of money and food for disaster relief caused you to be dismissed from office, but then you still have to
For a while, I have been suspicious. If you really find out what caused the century-old foundation to be destroyed, don't blame me for cutting the knot quickly. Although there are some violations of the rules, who cares? Besides, you have already given it yourself.
The best excuse is that he died suddenly after being wounded while out fighting bandits. It is reasonable and reasonable. There is no such thing as assassinating an official of the imperial court. It was because you were greedy for merit and took the blame for yourself. If you die, how to report it is not a matter of words..."
Naturally, these words were not spoken out loud. Dark things can be done in the dark. On the surface, everyone is still very friendly, right?
Youdao is like Chi Qian's bastard. The smaller the place, the more bullshit things happen.
As for the seriousness of the current disaster, who cares whether the death of certain people will have serious consequences, your own interests are the most important, right? It doesn't matter no matter how many untouchables die, they are just like bamboo shoots after a rain, and they will naturally grow in the future. It popped up...
Yunjing has been silently waiting for Zhou Yu's reply in the teahouse. As the head of the county, the other party has a lot of things to do every day. Even if he can't spare time to meet, it doesn't matter. After all, business matters are important. Not only will Yunjing not be disturbed by this, Although he was disappointed, he was very happy, because it meant that Zhou Yu was a good official, and the current situation also needed him. If he had delayed his official duties, he would have felt bad.
After all, the days are long and there are many opportunities to meet.
Yunjing saw the scene when Zhou Yu led the team back in the afternoon, and Yunjing was filled with emotion. It had only been more than a year, and he had aged so much and changed so much.
I especially remember that it was so fun to go boating and have fun, but now the other party is responsible for the hard work of the people under the rule. When the high spirits of the past are really implemented, you realize that you are not just thinking about it. Only you know the feeling.
Zhou Yu returned with his officers and soldiers, and there were many casualties. Yun Jing could probably guess some of the reasons. Although he didn't know the specifics, it was just gangsters causing trouble. Once you serve as an official, peace is the most important thing, especially in the current disaster. If the banditry is not eliminated, the lives of the common people will become even more miserable. If the situation worsens, people will no longer be able to live. There is probably no choice but to take the desperate route. If they can no longer afford to live, who can care so much?
Yunjing's plan was to stay in the city for a day, and if Zhou Yu couldn't get away, he would leave.
Under the darkness of the night, he had already seen Zhou Yu coming, and he couldn't help but smile on his face. Although it was just a one-way relationship at the beginning, we had a very happy conversation. Now we meet again, saying goodbye and saying okay, it is the world of human beings. rare.
When Zhou Yu approached the teahouse where he was, Yun Jing couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and said to himself that it seemed that his career as an official here was not going to be smooth sailing.
The person following him in secret definitely didn't look like he was protecting him. He was clearly following him, and was still relaying his movements at any time. He was afraid that he was going to cause trouble.
"Judging from the look on Brother Zhou's face, he should be well aware of these things. The clown is a bit disappointed in meeting old friends. If you need help, it's just a simple matter. It's just a meeting gift."
…
This chapter has been completed!