"It's late, let's stop here today - Xu Huai didn't comment on Shi Zhen's suggestion. Looking at the courtyard shrouded in the deep night outside the door, he stood up and said, "Mr.
We had to work so hard to get to Chushan, and we couldn’t reunite with our families properly. It’s really because of our lack of etiquette!”
Although Shi Zhen thought Xu Huai would hesitate, he couldn't help but want to see Xu Huai's true inner thoughts.
"Wang Zhang," Xu Huai called Wang Zhang in, who was on duty in front of the living room corridor, and ordered, "We don't need to pay attention to the order. From this moment on, Mr. Shi is the Prime Minister of Chushan County; and from this moment on, you
Lead a team of personal soldiers to follow Mr. Shi's orders closely, but if anyone dares to neglect Mr. Shi, he will be punished with disrespect; you must be more cautious around Mr. Shi!"
The people in Chushan were used to living a hard life and lived simply. There were at most one or two servants in the house to take care of the chores, and they traveled with light carriages and horses. No one cared about pomp and circumstance; and Xu Huai only recently had special guards and soldiers.
Shi Zhen saw that as soon as he arrived in Huaiyuan, Xu Huai was going to arrange for a team of personal soldiers to accompany him closely. He hurriedly stood up and declined: "This is absolutely impossible!"
"Wang Zhang is the son of my third uncle, and most of the guards and soldiers are the children of the Wang family or the nephews of generals. When the Wang family suffered a disaster, they fled with their clan members and only met each other in Gong County. However, even the children of the Wang family,
In Chushan, we must also start with soldiers and military officials. Mr. Shi must not strictly control them just because of their status."
Xu Huai said,
"And I send them to serve Mr. Shi. In addition to tempering their temperament, I also hope that they can learn something from Mr. Shi. I also ask Mr. Shi not to refuse..."
Shi Zhen was a man of great talent, but his temperament was cautious, he was wise in protecting himself, and he did not fight with others, so the Shi family did not think highly of him.
Xu Huai can only use these methods to increase Shi Zhen's power now.
In addition, Xu Huai could also see the hesitation in Yu Chengzhen's heart.
As for those master craftsmen who were willing to surrender to Chushan, they were essentially persuaded by Shi Zhen and realized that even if the Chihu people were withdrawn, Bianliang would no longer be in danger, so they wanted to leave Bianliang.
Xu Huaizhen wanted to find a way to bring them and his family to Chushan. Deep down in their hearts, they really wanted to stay in Chushan, which was directly in front of the Red Hussars and where supplies were in short supply, instead of going to the safer and richer areas of Liangjiang and Zhejiang.
?
To retain people, in addition to using hard and soft tactics, we also need to make them feel that they are truly valued if they stay in Chushan.
…………
…………
Shi Zhen knew that Xu Huai wanted to buy horse bones for a thousand gold, so he did not refuse. But when he returned to the Huaiyangfang house, he pondered for a while, stood in front of the house door and said to Wang Zhang:
"Captain Wang will take the people back to rest first. You can just meet me at the public house tomorrow. There is no need to follow closely - besides, I don't have a place to stay there."
Wang Zhang didn't think much about it. When Shi Zhen entered the house, he turned around and led others away.
"Dad, who are they?"
It was already dark at this time, and his son-in-law Jiang Xie was still waiting in the yard waiting for Shi Zhen to come back. When he opened the door and saw Wang Zhang and others turning away, he asked suspiciously.
"Oh, it's a general patrolling the streets in Fangli. He happened to bump into my father coming back and asked him a few questions," Shi Zhen said.
Almost everyone in the family had gone to bed. Shi Zhen returned to the bedroom, took off his boots and saw that the blood blisters on the soles of his feet had not burst. He heated up a pot of hot water with his wife, scalded his feet and went to bed.
Traveling all the way, it can be said that I was exhausted physically and mentally, but when I arrived in Chushan, I felt indescribably excited. Shi Zhen lay on the bed and tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep until he heard the rooster crowing in the city and fell asleep for a while.
but woke up quickly.
Shi Zhen struggled to get up and walked to the yard to get a basin of well water to wash up. He saw his sister-in-law Wei Chenglong walking from the next yard.
"Brother, you don't really want to take root in this poor ravine, do you?" Wei Chenglong came over and asked, "You have seen the end of your life. You have no fame and you can still serve as the county magistrate. It can't be considered a bad thing, but
You have to think about Jiang Xie and Zhang'er. Jiang Xie failed to win the imperial examination twice. It's because he was a bit unlucky, or there was no famous teacher in the court to support him; Zhang'er is the same. When the situation calms down, they need to return to Bian.
Liang is looking for guidance from famous teachers. As long as one person is named on the gold medal list, it will not be a hundred times better than if you served as county magistrate in this ravine. If you stay in this ravine, they will only waste their studies."
Shi Zhen remained silent. He looked back at his second son Shi Xun and Shi Zhang, his son-in-law Jiang Xie and his nephew Wei Jiang who were all standing by the courtyard gate. He pondered for a while and said to his sister-in-law Wei Chenglong:
"It is absolutely impossible to return to Bianliang. The situation will not calm down for three to five years. Even if peace is successful this time, the Chihu people will go south again at any time. This is completely impossible to do. If you really don't want to stay
In Chushan, I can shamelessly ask the military princes to help arrange for you to go to Xiangyang. Xiangyang is where the Luzhi is located, the city is magnificent, and the commercial port is prosperous.
Fame. However, you have to think carefully. It is okay to leave at this time, but if you want to return to Chushan to seek an official position in the future, no matter how thick-skinned I am, there is no way I can help you..."
"What kind of job can Chu Shan have that people are so envious of, and still need to seek for it? Isn't it a joke, brother?"
Wei Chenglong smiled and said,
"It is also a good idea to go to Xiangyang first - Shi Xun has a history of serving as an official in the Ministry of Household Affairs. It is not difficult to go to Xiangyang to ask for connections. It is not difficult to find a job. However, it is better to serve as an official in the Supervisory Department of Jingnan Road than in this poor village.
Xiangxiang is a hundred times better at doing things; Shi Zhang and Jiang Xie continued to study hard after arriving in Xiangyang. It is time for the old historians to produce a Jinshi to shine in the family - Xiangyang is an important commercial port town, and the Han River leads to Jinghu Lake. It is a land of fish and rice. We
It’s just the right time to get back to my old job!”
"..." Shi Zhen smiled slightly, waved his hand and said, "Now that you have made up your mind, go ahead and make preparations. I will ask the military lord to arrange someone to take you to Xiangyang tomorrow!"
Seeing his sister-in-law, nephew and second son turned around and walked away, but it was his son-in-law Jiang Xie who helped him fetch water from the well with a wooden bucket. Shi Zhen asked solemnly: "Jiang Xie, you still care about fame and fame at this time.
Do you just want to find a quiet place to study hard?"
"Father, Jiang Xie wants to stay in Chushan." Jiang Xie said.
"Oh," Shi Zhen's eyes lit up and he asked, "Why do you want to stay in Chushan?"
"I didn't get the title in the two tribute examinations. Maybe I was just unlucky. No matter how hard I worked, I could pass. However, Jiang Xie has not been ignorant of what is going on outside the window these years. He only read the books of sages. The world has changed and it has been difficult.
Unpredictable, especially the ruined rivers and Huaihe Rivers, thousands of refugees flowing southward. Jiang Xie also saw and felt it. He couldn't help but think that he could not serve the country at this time. After a few years or more than ten years, he would be able to obtain merit in the examination.
Is it beneficial for the country and its people? Before his father came to Chushan, Jiang Xie thought that if he had the opportunity to join the army as a civil servant, he would be able to serve the court better than being a bookworm!"
"good!"
Shi Zhen said.
He knew that Xu Huai wanted to keep more people in Chushan, and he had to find a way to help Xu Huai keep more people in Chushan. Of course, he could not ask his sons and sons-in-law to leave Chushan one by one.
Over the years, he has been cautious and cautious, and his family management is far from strict. He didn't care when Wei Chenglong and others treated him lightly in the past, but now to change this situation, the easiest way is for the two families to separate.
good.
Whenever my sister-in-law Wei Chenglong and his family go to Xiangyang, it is always convenient for his two sons, Shi Xun and Shi Zhang, to take care of them even if they are a bit stubborn.
So when he was talking to his brother-in-law Wei Chenglong just now, he always mentioned the word "you" at the beginning of every word.
Now that son-in-law Jiang Xie can have this realization, it would be great.
Shi Zhen took a long time to wash up, and heard his old wife calling him to have breakfast in the side courtyard. When he walked into the side courtyard, he heard his brother-in-law Wei Chenglong complaining about his son-in-law Jiang Xie: "You said it well, why do you suddenly want to stay?
"
"I have relied on my father to take care of me all these years. Now my father is busy and needs someone to take care of him. Huiniang and I can take care of our two elders by staying here. Besides, you go to Xiangyang first. When you have established a foothold in Xiangyang, we will be two days later.
Three years later, it will save a lot of troubles." Jiang Xie is a good talker, and Wei Chenglong can no longer persuade him with his words.
When Shi Zhen walked in, Wei Chenglong couldn't help complaining that he must have said something nonsense. If he really delayed Jiang Xie's academic achievement, he would not regret it until it was too late.
Shi Zhen smiled faintly, picked up the porcelain bowl, and drank porridge with pickles.
At this time, there was a sound of horse hoofbeats. After a while, he saw Zheng Tu, Wang Zhang and others walking in. Shi Zhen hurriedly threw his rice bowl on the dining table, walked out and asked, "What's the matter with the military marquis?"
"Mr. Shi has just arrived in Chushan, so he doesn't need to worry too much. There is nothing important in the government office now. The military marquis ordered early in the morning that the left courtyard of the government office should be vacated to act as a public house for Mr. Shi to handle affairs. There is still a lot of things to clean up.
"It can be activated at noon at the earliest, so Mr. Shi doesn't need to rush to the government office."
Zheng Tugong bowed his hands and said,
"Also, Wang Zhang and the others did not understand the military order from Lord Tou. They left without authorization last night and did not follow Mr. Shi to wait for orders. In the morning, they were caught by the army and reprimanded severely. I brought them over to ask Mr. Shi to punish..."
"How dare you take this seriously? I invited Commander Wang back last night, and besides, I don't have a place to stay for so many people here!" Shi Zhen said.
"This is not a problem," Zheng Tu said. "The military lord has just ordered that the adjacent courtyard be cleared out, and the side wall opened to the monastery gate. It can be used as a guard and military courtyard. Cars and horses can be prepared in the courtyard. In addition, the military lord also ordered
Send six maids and cooks over to take care of Mr. Shi’s daily life! The current conditions in Chushan are limited and we cannot build a mansion specifically for Mr. Shi. Please forgive me!”
As Zheng Tu spoke, he waved to the maids who were waiting outside. The cook came in to pay homage to Shi Zhen and his wife, and a dozen soldiers stood neatly against the courtyard wall.
Seeing this scene, Wei Chenglong felt a little uncomfortable.
There were many wealthy families in Bianliang who kept servants and children, and they were always cheering when they came in and out, which was very majestic. But how many people in this world are qualified to be accompanied by dozens of armored soldiers wearing strong armor?
"How dare you take this seriously? How dare you take this seriously?" Shi Zhen returned the courtesy in the direction of the county government and said to Zheng Tu, "There is no need to build a new house. My sister-in-law Chenglong has decided to move his family to Xiangyang and settle down tomorrow.
The side yard is freed up, and Captain Wang can bring people to live in it directly..."
"That's okay, then let Wang Zhang and the others spend the night together in the open air, and then they can move in when the yard is freed tomorrow," Zheng Tu said.
"How can this work? How can this work?" Shi Zhen smacked his lips, looked at his sister-in-law Wei Chenglong, and said, "It's better to choose a different day than to hit the sun. Otherwise, your family will leave today. I definitely didn't ask Captain Wang and others to sleep in the yard.
It makes sense!”
Only then did Wei Chenglong come to his senses. From the beginning to the end, Shi Zhen only said that his family was moving to Xiangyang, and even wanted to drive them out of Chushan today, but he did not agree with his second son, Shi Xun. Shi Zhang, his wife and children also followed.
