Today is the Chinese New Year's Eve, and it is also the last day of the ninth year of Chongzhen. Tomorrow will be the tenth year of Chongzhen. Pang Gang got up early and sent Eunuch Ma personally to the outside of Qingzhou City, accompanied by a hundred people.
Ten thousand taels of silver and 3,000 soldiers escorted Eunuch Ma to Beijing. Since the amount of one million taels of silver was huge, Pang Gang naturally sent heavy troops to escort him to Beijing. Pang Gang patted the leader of the team, Cheng Kai, on the shoulder and said slightly
He said apologetically: "Mr. Cheng Qian, I'm sorry to ask you and your brothers to make a trip on New Year's Eve. I promise you that I will let you and your brothers go for half a month after you come back from the capital."
Holiday!"
Cheng Kai raised his head and said proudly: "Don't worry, sir, as long as I am still alive, I will definitely send the money to the capital safely."
Pang Gang nodded with satisfaction: "Very good, let's go!"
"Yes!" Cheng Kai solemnly gave Pang Gang a military salute, pulled the reins of his horse, and shouted to his men: "Let's go!"
Following Cheng Kai's order, hundreds of carts loaded with silver moved slowly toward the north.
After seeing off Eunuch Ma Ma, Pang Gang rushed to Lingshan Guard without stopping. Li Xian, who served as the magistrate of Lingshan Guard, and Qianhu Binshiqian, the new Lingshan Guard, stood in front of the guard to greet him.
On New Year's Eve, Pang Gang came here specially to distribute New Year's gifts to everyone. Pang Gang had already visited Qianniuwei and Antonwei the day before yesterday, and Lingshanwei was the last fort that did not distribute New Year's gifts.
Today, the weather is very cold, Pang Gang estimated that it is at least seven or eight degrees below zero. When the wind blows on the body, it is like biting bones. Everyone is wearing a scarf, covering their heads and faces tightly. Although there is no snow in the sky at this time,
But the heavy snowfall in the past two days left a thick layer of snow on the ground, which made a creaking sound when people stepped on it.
But in the school grounds, there was a huge buzz of people. The military households crowded the large school grounds to the full. The open-air field was filled with tables and chairs, and the tables were filled with steaming food and wine. Everyone was sitting at the tables.
, eating, drinking, talking and laughing, while watching the wonderful show performed by the troupe invited by Lingshan Wei in the middle of the venue, it was really lively.
Many old people in Lingshanwei secretly wiped their tears while eating wine and food. They had never dreamed of such a good life. Once upon a time, they were a group of run-down military households who couldn't even eat enough to eat. During the Chinese New Year,
Having two salted fish for dinner is already very good, but I had thought that one day I would be able to drink and eat meat with everyone on the school grounds. This is simply a magical day.
These people who can eat on the school grounds are all old military households of Lingshan Guard. They are all old people who have settled in Lingshan Guard. In addition, the military households who joined Lingshan Guard last year are on various other farms.
There are gatherings in factories, mines and other places. In addition, the outside of the school grounds is crowded with people watching the fun. They are looking at everything inside with envious eyes. These people are the refugees who just joined Lingshan Guard this year.
Someone originally suggested to Pang Gang whether to feed the more than 30,000 refugees who were admitted to Lingshan Guard this year, but Pang Gang refused. Pang Gang thought that the saying "people are originally good by nature" is
He scoffed. He had always believed that if everyone wanted to abide by discipline, a strict and complete set of laws was indispensable. Moreover, these refugees had just arrived at Lingshan Guard and had not made any contribution at all. How could they enjoy the same benefits as those who had worked so hard?
Military households who have worked for a year are treated the same. Unclear rewards and punishments have always been a taboo in the military, and the same goes for military households. If you do this, it will definitely dampen the enthusiasm of those veteran military households. Therefore, Pang has always hated eating from a big pot.
Not only did Gang explicitly reject this suggestion, he also severely reprimanded Li Xian and others who made the suggestion.
Today, the Annual Award Commendation Ceremony is being held on the school grounds. At this time, a stage has been set up in the center of the school grounds. Pang Gang, Li Xian, Bin Shiqian, Qi Wuming, and more than a dozen officers from the original Lingshan Guard were all invited to attend today. 's conference.
This school ground is large enough to accommodate four to five thousand people, but there were so many people here today. Tens of thousands of people poured into the school ground, making it packed to the brim.
There are three health centers in Qingzhou, Lingshan Guard, Qianniu Guard and Anton Guard. Lingshan Guard is the largest and richest among the three health centers. He and Qianniu Guard and Anton Guard, who are mainly responsible for breeding and growing food, Differently, Lingshan Guard is mainly responsible for various industrial workshops such as factories, mines, salt production, and cement. Therefore, in terms of wealth, Lingshan Guard is the richest among the three health centers. Therefore, the benefits provided by Lingshan Guard are also very generous. Rich.
Pang Gang ordered Li Xian to select a group of those who work the hardest and are the most capable in the factories and mines, and call them work experts. The work experts are divided into three grades, and there are 80 first-class work experts. There are 188 second-class work experts and 288 third-class work experts. These people can also be called the models of tens of thousands of Lingshan Guard military households.
At this time, tens of thousands of new and old military households inside and outside the school grounds all looked at the podium. The podium was filled with livestock, cloth and silver. Most of the military households had mixed eyes. There were expressions of envy, envy, envy, etc. The eyes of those military households who estimated that they might be rated as work experts also shone with joy and excitement. Many of them were thinking about what they would buy if they could receive the award. What.
Soon, Li Xian came to the rostrum, holding a large tin speaker in his hand, and said loudly into the loudspeaker: "Folks, old and young gentlemen, please be quiet now and listen to what I, Old Li, have to say. .”
The loudspeaker in Li Xian's hand was very big, and the sound was also very loud. Soon the sound on the school ground gradually became quieter. Countless pairs of eyes were eagerly looking at Li Xian on the stage. Li Xian held up the big horn, and the sound came from there. A thin iron sheet was uploaded: "Dear young and old gentlemen, how have you been doing this past year?"
"Okay!" A thunderous sound came from the school field. Although the sound was very messy and not very neat, it came from all around and was very loud.
"Well, it seems that everyone is very satisfied with this year's life." Li Xian nodded and continued: "But do you know where today's good days came from?"
"I know, it was given by Pang Pang!" This time his voice was much neater.
"It's good if everyone knows!" Li Xian nodded, "I won't tell you the big truth, but there is one thing I hope everyone understands. When drinking water, don't forget the well digger. We are living a good life now, but I hope Everyone, please don’t forget the kindness of Pang Pang. If anyone does something that is unworthy of Pang Pang, I, Old Li, will never spare him."
"That is, if anyone does something that is sorry for the great people, we will not be the first to spare him without Li Dianli." Everyone on the school grounds was excited. Although they did not understand any big principles, in the end, they They still understand the basic principles of life, and they also know that if there is no Pang Daren, their good life will be like that rootless duckweed, and it may disappear anytime soon.
Seeing the excited emotions of the heavy military households on the school field, Pang Gang nodded secretly. Unexpectedly, Li Xiancai had been a clerk for more than a year, and his speaking skills had improved a lot. He could even do difficult things like mobilizing people's emotions.
Already.
"Okay, I won't say much now. I'd like to ask your Majesty to read out our list of work experts for this year!"
"Wow..." A burst of thunderous cheers accompanied the applause.
Pang Gang walked up to the front desk with a smile. He took out a piece of white paper with names written on it from his sleeve and announced loudly: "Now, I am here to read out the list of this year's work experts. The work experts are divided into three grades.
, there are a total of eighty-eight first-class work experts. Now everyone whose name I have read please come forward to the stage."
Pang Gang cleared his throat and read: "Zhao Siming, Li Tiezhu, Lu Zhengyi, Cheng Shuanwa, Hu Gouzi..."
"Hey, Gouzi, if you don't get up there, I'm going to give you an award."
"Little plum, hurry up and come up."
As Pang Gang read about the people's capital, everyone on the playground "kicked" out the people next to them with expressions of joy and jealousy. The family members of the military households whose names were read had a look of pride on their faces.
, seeing their men or children on stage, they felt both nervous and excited.
As Pang Gang read the name, everyone came forward one by one and stood in front of Pang Gang. After Pang Gang read the name, he personally took out big red flowers from the entourage behind him who was holding a tray and pinned them on them.
Looking at the faces in front of him that were cracked by the wind and frost, Pang Gang smiled darkly and held their rough hands, encouraging them one by one to do their jobs well.
The reward for a military household who is a first-class work expert is ten taels of silver, one fat pig, and five chickens and ducks each. For a second-class work expert, he is seven taels of silver, one sheep, and five chickens and ducks. For a third-class work expert, the reward is silver.
Four taels, six each of chickens and ducks.
As the names were read, people came forward to receive the awards one by one, and then they hurried down the pigs, chickens and ducks. Everyone was smiling from ear to ear. After they got off the stage, their respective family members
They came over quickly, and the children from each family took the chickens and ducks from their fathers, and the women took the silver coins from their husbands, all of them with proud expressions.
Immediately afterwards, Pang Gang read out the rewards to each hundred households and officials. It turns out that Pang Gang, a hundred households in Lingshan Guard, did not incorporate them into the regular army. After all, they have been working with hoes for most of their lives and are already familiar with them.
Instead of living a life facing the loess and facing the sky, Pang Gang simply asked them to manage various farms, factories and mines. This year, the wasteland of Lingshanwei had a good harvest, and the factories and mines also gained a lot, so Pang Gang naturally rewarded them.
The one who received the most reward was Li Xian, the chief steward of Lingshan Guard. Pang Gang rewarded him with one thousand taels of silver, and the other Lily received five hundred taels of silver each. What surprised Pang Gang was that the total of one thousand taels of silver was less than one thousand taels.
A hundred kilograms, but not light. Pang Gang didn't expect that Li Xian, an old man in his fifties, would actually put the silver into a bag, put it on his shoulders, and walked off the podium without even taking a breath. Pang Gang was amazed when he saw it.
.
For those refugees who had just fled, Pang Gang also distributed some rice and noodles to each of their households so that they would not spend the New Year on an empty stomach. For these people, Pang Gang would be of great use in the coming year, so he would naturally not let them go hungry.
With.
Over the past year, the changes in various health centers in Qingzhou are obvious. Whether it is Lingshan Guard, Qianniu Guard, or Anton Guard, they have undergone profound changes compared to before.
The three health centers have either become breeding grounds or farms, or there are workshops and factories everywhere. Whether they are military households who came earlier or refugees who came later, they can live a stable life here, and people are full of hope for the future.
.........
When the sky began to darken, heavy snow began to fall in the sky again. Pang Gang walked into the Dingguo General's Mansion with heavy steps. As soon as he stepped into the inner courtyard, he was pleasantly surprised to find that there were snowflakes floating everywhere in the inner courtyard.
There was a bright red light, and countless people were walking around happily.
As soon as Pang Gang pushed open the door of the hall, he was surprised by what he saw. The hall was noisy. Not only were Pang Gang's six wives and concubines in the hall, but also his two father-in-laws, Wei Tongnian, Rou Niang, and Kong.
Wen, Kong Lin and others all gathered together. Together with Kong Lin's wives, concubines and several children, there were nearly twenty people in total, and the whole hall was filled with shouts.
"Master is back." When Pang Gang walked into the hall, a wave of warmth hit his face. Ling'er, the concubine, and Qiao'er came up quickly. One helped Pang Gang take off his coat and bamboo hat, and the other helped Pang Gang take off his coat and hat.
I replaced my thick official boots with light cloth boots.
Seeing Pang Gang's recovery, everyone greeted him one after another, even Wei Tongnian and Kong Wen, his two father-in-laws, were no exception. As Pang Gang's power and official position became higher and higher, and his majesty became stronger, a group of relatives came to him in front of him.
He also became more and more afraid to be presumptuous. Pang Gang walked to the middle and stopped, smiling and said to everyone: "What are everyone talking about? Is it so lively?"
Kong Wen, who was sitting next to Pang Gang, smiled and said: "It's nothing. Everyone is congratulating Mr. Wei on his promotion. Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, Mr. Wei will be promoted to the governor of Shandong. It can be said that his official career is prosperous!" There was a hint in his tone!
A smell of envy and flattery.
It’s no wonder that Kong Wen was vulgar. Although he and Wei both belonged to Pang Gang Laotaishan in the same year, and it was unknown how much more wealth Kong Wen had than Wei in the same year, but Wei was born in the same year as a scholar, and now he was a governor. It was Kong who raised his status.
No one can compare to the art of painting a horse, so it is not surprising that there is envy in Kong Wen's words.
Pang Gang nodded and said: "That's right, my father-in-law is an honest and capable official, so it's not surprising that he can be promoted high."
Wei Tongnian blushed. He naturally knew how he got the position of governor. Not to mention how much effort Pang Gang put into it and how much money he spent. If he could climb up by himself, would he be able to climb up?
Not to mention getting to this position, even if I can climb to this position, I don’t know how many years it will take.
Wei Tongnian waved his hand and changed the subject: "Okay, since Chaodong is here, let's get started."
Following the order, the wine and food were served to the servants who had been waiting for them for a long time. In a short while, two large tables were filled, and men and women were divided into one table each, and everyone began to eat lively.
After three rounds of wine and five delicious dishes, Pang Gang stood up and said to Wei Tongnian: "Father-in-law, after the Chinese New Year, you will go to Jinan to take office. My son-in-law hereby wishes you great success and great achievements!
"
Wei Tongnian quickly stood up and said with a look of shame on his face: "Chaodong, speaking of which, my position as governor is thanks to your help. Otherwise, even if I have another ten years, I don't know if I will be able to sit in this position. I would like to express my gratitude."
I won’t say much more, it’s all in the wine, let’s do it!”
"cheers!"
Everyone raised their glasses and drank the wine. As the wine went down, the atmosphere in the hall became more and more lively, and the hall was filled with bursts of laughter.
As the drunkenness increased, everyone started to talk. Pang Gang said to Wei Tongnian, who was sitting on the left: "Father-in-law, you have been ordered to go to Jinan to take up the post. It seems to be a great sight, but there are too many Bodhisattvas in Jinan.
Especially there is a big Buddha inside, so you have to be careful!"
Wei Tongnian also nodded: "Why don't I know this? The most difficult person to deal with in Jinan Mansion is probably King Lu. This giant Buddha cannot be scolded, let alone beaten. I am having a headache because of this matter. If
If King Lu can be settled, things in Shandong will be much easier to deal with. Do you have any good ideas?"
Pang Gang shook his head, "Prince Lu's Mansion is the dominant one in Shandong. All the successive governors of Shandong have had this headache. They can't do anything about it. What can my son-in-law do? However, my son-in-law thinks that 50% of the people in Jinan Mansion have returned in the past two days.
Under the name of Prince Lu's Mansion, although Jinan is the capital of Shandong, the people there are the most miserable. You must be careful when you go there, otherwise a wrong move will lead to a civil commotion. Then...
......."
Having said this, everyone's faces couldn't help but show a look of worry. Because of Pang Gang's relationship, everyone here can be said to be a family, and they have also formed a relationship where everyone is prosperous and everyone is vulnerable, so they are not afraid to say some things.
Kong Lin stuck out his tongue and said: "Originally I just envied the majesty of being an official, but I didn't expect that being an official also brings so many troubles."
"That's because every family has scriptures that are difficult to recite." Pang Gang shook his head and ignored Kong Lin, and then said to Wei Tongnian: "Father-in-law, when you take office this time, my son-in-law will send you two thousand soldiers to specially
I am responsible for your safety and at your beck and call. If you have anything to do, just give me your orders. No need to be polite."
Wei Tongnian Haoran said: "I didn't expect that I got the position of governor by relying on my virtuous son-in-law. My virtuous son-in-law even helped me arrange everything after taking office. I am really ashamed!"
Pang Gang smiled, "Father-in-law, you are so polite. We are all one family, so why do you need to see us outside? Besides, if you can establish yourself in Jinan as soon as possible, my son-in-law will have a backer!"
Wei Tongnian pointed at Pang Gang and smiled helplessly, "Haha, Chaodong, you are really good at talking." Wei Tongnian was indeed very grateful to Pang Gang. He understood that this was Pang Gang comforting himself. His son-in-law is now
Now that he has grown up, even the imperial court has given him three points, so why would he need his backer? But if he can gain a foothold in Jinan, I think he can be of some help to him.
Thinking of this, Wei Tongnian also secretly made up his mind to take control of Jinan Mansion as soon as possible, at least not to hinder his son-in-law.
Today is August 15th, I wish you all a happy holiday!