The sun gradually climbed up to the top of the mountain, and birds jumped happily on the branches. Summer has quietly arrived. In the clear sky, high and sparse clouds floated slightly, as milky white as the last snow in spring. , as flat and slender as unloaded sails. Their fluffy and soft lace like cotton, slowly but significantly changes every moment.
Although the sky is beautiful, Pang Gang is not in the mood to appreciate such beautiful scenery. Since taking charge of Qingzhou, Pang Gang has been involved in countless tedious matters, such as the development of Lingshan Guard, the defense of Qingzhou, and the rearrangement of his officials. Waiting one after another, many chores have become an important part of Pang Gang's daily life. After being busy for nearly a week, these tedious chores finally came to an end, and today Pang Gang summoned Qian Niuwei, and An The days when there were thousands of households in the two guardhouses of the Eastern Guard.
Chu Guozheng and Liu Changyou felt a little uneasy and sat down half their butts on the hardwood stools. They lowered their eyebrows and lowered their eyes, not daring to look directly at the commander sitting behind the table, because their command made the commander look like he was not in a good mood.
Pang Gang is not in a bad mood now, he is in a very bad mood. Just the day before yesterday, Pang Gang personally inspected the conditions of the Anton Guard and Qianniu Guard. What he saw shocked Pang Gang. The situation of the military households fleeing from the two guard stations is extremely shocking. According to the system, the total number of households in the guard stations was supposed to be more than 2,600, but now there are less than 1,000 households. The combined population of the two guard stations is actually less than 4,000 people. , what does this mean? It means that these two guard stations can be said to exist in name only.
This situation shocked Pang Gang. The situation of most of the guards in the late Ming Dynasty was not good. Pang Gang knew that, but in Pang Gang's opinion, even if the situation of the guards was bad, it would still be no worse than the original Lingshan Guard. Where to go, but after inspecting the conditions of the two guard stations of Anton Guard and Qianniu Guard, Pang Gang knew that he was wrong. It can be said that the situation of the guard stations is not the worst, only worse.
When Pang Gang was walking on the streets of Qianniuwei and Antong Guards, he saw some young girls who didn't even have a decent piece of clothing. They could only wrap their lower bodies and chests with a piece of rag. Many soldiers Every household was lying weakly under the simple thatched hut basking in the sun. The numb expressions on their faces made Pang Gang's heart feel like he had been whipped severely. Is this the real life of the lowest-level military households in the Ming Dynasty? This Are they the troops who fought bravely and defended the country during the founding of the People's Republic of China?
Looking at the military households who were swaying weakly even as they walked, and then seeing the two well-dressed men Cre Guozheng and Liu Changyou following him, Pang Gang had the urge to immediately draw out his machete and hack them to death.
After a quick tour of the two guard posts, Pang Gang, who couldn't stand it anymore, immediately mounted his horse and left with a group of soldiers with a tigerish face. The next day, Pang Gang immediately summoned two thousand households, Chu Guozheng and Liu Changyou, to the capital. Command the Yamen.
"Tell me, how do you manage the guards under your command?" Pang Gang finally spoke, but his cold tone made the two Qianhu sitting below him tremble in their hearts.
"Sir, it's not that I'm not doing my best because I'm in a humble position, but that the guard station is really too poor, and the people in this humble position are also powerless." Qianhu Yukunomasa of Qianniu Guard was the first to call out to Qu, "Sir, you are a sensible person. I also know that the situation in the health centers is in dire straits these days. There are still hundreds of households in the health centers under Beizhong and others, but some health centers have less than 100 households. Moreover, there has been a severe drought in recent years and the food harvest has been poor. , it’s far beyond human power.”
"Fart!" The furious Pang Gang slapped the table made of solid hardwood hard, making a loud noise and startling the two of them.
Pang Gang pointed at the two of them and cursed: "You still have the nerve to say that it can't be done by manpower! I have checked the account books in the yamen, and at the beginning of spring today, the yamen distributed 500 shi of food to each of your two guard posts.
, let me say that although this food is not enough for you to eat, it will not make those military households so hungry that they can't even walk, right? But look at it, look at it, are the military households under your command still called people?
?They are almost turning into ghosts! On the contrary, Mr. Crepe and Mr. Liu, the two of you look very handsome in bright clothes and angry horses!"
Pang Gang read the account book and knew that the grain allocated to them by the commanding officer's Yamen was indeed not much, but it was not enough to deal with the military households for two or three months. However, judging from yesterday's inspection, it goes without saying that most of the grain was
They were all swallowed up secretly by the two people in front of them.
"Sir, it's not that I like to show off because I am in a humble position, but I am also an official of the imperial court, so I should have some dignity, right?" Liu Changyou was still explaining himself below. It was okay not to say this, but when he said it, Pang Gang was shocked.
The anger became even greater.
"Decent, do you think you still have dignity? The military households under your command are all starving to death and you still want dignity! Do you want to wait until everyone in the guardhouse is killed before you can feel at ease? Or do you really think that you still have dignity?
I can't cure you?" Pang Gang's sinister words contained a hint of killing intent, staring at the two men below.
With a "pop" sound, Chu Guozheng and Liu Changyou were so frightened that they both knelt on the ground, and cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.
"Sir, humble position... humble position... humble position is wrong, please spare humble position!"
Under Pang Gang's eyes that were as if they were real, Chu Guozheng and Liu Changyou just knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing, making a dull sound when their heads hit the hard bluestone ground. They had heard about the commander in front of them before.
This position was created with Tatar heads with swords and guns. He said he would not be lenient if he wanted to cure you. Putting aside other methods, as long as they stopped paying their food and wages, all the people in the two guards would have to drink.
The northwest wind has gone. Although they themselves have some fields, the yield of those thin fields is not high, and it is difficult to feed themselves. Every year, they rely on the little grain allocated by the commanding officer to save their lives. If Pang Gang really cuts off their grain supply,
Their fate is definitely not much better than that of those military households.
"Alas..." Looking at the two people below who were banging their heads, Pang Gang, who was originally furious, could only sigh helplessly. Situations like theirs were not isolated cases, but
This is the case for most of the guards. If I really cut off their food and salary, the first people to starve to death would definitely be the ordinary military households.
If possible, Pang Gang really wants to get rid of these two losers who only know how to eat and drink, but replacing officers with more than a thousand households is the right of the Ministry of War and the emperor. The most important thing now is how to revive these two guards. Yes,
Just make them come alive!
The so-called things considered at different heights are naturally different. Previously, when Pang Gang served as Lingshan Guard Qianhu, the things he considered could only be limited to places within a few dozen miles of Lingshan Guard, but now that he has become the commander of Qingzhou,
What Pang Gang had to consider was the issue of eating, drinking and defecation in three health camps within hundreds of miles in Qingzhou.
Seeing that their foreheads were swollen, Pang Gang took a deep breath and shouted impatiently: "Get up, what do two grown men look like crying!"
"Thank you, Sir!" The two of them kowtowed again before standing up tremblingly. They now understood that the new commander in front of them did not tolerate criticism, and it seemed that the future would be difficult.
While these two people were thinking wildly, Pang Gang asked: "I went to inspect your guard station yesterday and found that most of the fields in your guard station are abandoned. The only farmland that can be cultivated is only a few hundred acres, and the remaining tens of thousands of acres.
The fertile fields have been turned into wasteland, and the only way now is to reclaim those wastelands. Only in this way can your guard station be able to "survive" and get rid of the dilemma of relying on relief from above."
"Open wasteland?" The two people who had just stood up were stunned. The commander was probably dizzy. If those wastelands could be replanted, wouldn't they know how to plant them?
Looking at Chu Guozheng and Liu Changyou who were stunned on the spot, Pang Gang felt a little funny in his heart, but he still said calmly: "What, don't you want to open up wasteland for farming?"
"No, no!" The two of them quickly waved their hands and said, "Beizhi and the others have dreamed of diversifying their land, but the land under Beizhi's jurisdiction is not as close to the river as Lingshanwei's. The water shortage is really severe, so the talent
....."
Pang Gang interrupted them impatiently, "I know this, so the most important thing now is to build two canals from the river to your guardhouse. However, building the canals is not a day's work. We can expect it in the short term."
No. The urgent solution now is to dig more wells in the fields, so that your water shortage problem can be solved in the short term."
"But sir, all the money needed will be lost in this way!" When the two of them heard this, they were both surprised. From the construction of canals at the Wuming River in Lingshan Guard to the two guard posts dozens of miles away from them, so
If the huge project does not require more than half a year's work and tens of thousands of taels of silver, don't even think about it. Does the imperial court have so much money to allocate?
"Money is not a problem. I will find a way to do this." Pang Gang said confidently: "What you have to do is to gather all the military households in your guard station when you go back and dig wells and build canals for me.
As long as those who come to work are fed three meals a day."
"Is this true?" Chu Guozheng and Liu Changyou's eyes lit up and they asked in unison. How can they dig wells, repair canals and still have food to eat for their families? Is there such a good thing these days?
"Of course, how can I deceive you?" Pang Gang said impatiently: "When you go back, gather all the people in the guardhouse and help me build canals and dig wells. Those wells must be completed within a month.
The internal digging is done. As for repairing the canals, the water grinding process will naturally be slower, but it cannot be later than four months. You must dig the canals for me within four months. Can you do it?"
Liu Changyou and Chu Guozheng looked at each other and then gritted their teeth and said, "Sir, the report must be completed within four months! I will never embarrass you."