Seeing that Pang Gang was still trying to pass things off at this moment, everyone became anxious and began to urge him regardless of being polite or impolite.
Seeing the helpless expressions of everyone, Pang Gang also felt a little nervous. The first point is that relocating the refugees is okay. These officials will not care about the lives and lives of the refugees. Now his only concern is the second point. If the second point
If the article can be passed, then the purpose of coming to Kaifeng this time will be achieved.
Pang Gang looked at everyone and said word by word: "I can leave a battalion of soldiers and horses to help the people of Kaifeng defend the city. I believe that as long as we have this battalion of soldiers and horses in Kaifeng, no matter how many bandits come, you will not need it."
Worried."
"What, sir, are you willing to leave a battalion of soldiers and horses to defend the city?" Everyone was happy at first, but then they turned their attention to Cen Zhi, the prefect of Kaifeng.
Cen Zhi also frowned when he heard this. Letting Shandong soldiers and horses be stationed in Kaifeng. It sounds simple, but it also involves an issue of military power. If there is an elite soldier in the city who does not obey his orders, whoever is in charge will think
Not at ease either.
He thought for a while and cautiously said to Pang Gang: "General Pang, if you are willing to leave a battalion of elite soldiers to help the people of Kaifeng defend the city, that is naturally good. However, I still want to say something more. These soldiers and horses are stationed in Kaifeng. On weekdays,
Whose jurisdiction is it?”
Pang Gang smiled heartily: "I am naturally under the jurisdiction of your Lord Cen. Don't worry, since this battalion of soldiers and horses is helping you defend the city, then they are your subordinates on the Kaifeng flagship. Naturally, they only follow your orders.
Don’t worry about that.”
Pang Gang said very directly, you don't need to be afraid. Since I handed them over to you, I will obey your orders and I will not interfere. But Cen Zhi still has a question. This is why Pang Gang is so generous and will
A battalion of elite soldiers was handed over to him to defend the city for him. He would rather believe that a knife will be struck from the sky than that this is Pang Gang imitating a good person and doing good deeds. It is said that all officials have a delicate heart. Cen Zhi is no exception.
Of course he would think twice about benefits that came out of the blue for no reason.
Although Cen Zhi did not show his doubts on his face, when Pang Gang saw that he did not immediately agree to this huge benefit, he knew that the other party must not be at ease. In order to reassure the other party, Pang Gang said: "But
, this battalion of soldiers and horses is not lent to you to defend the city for free. It is not easy for me to train a battalion of elite soldiers. During this period, I have spent countless money, food and hard work. I can help you defend the city. But I still have to impose some conditions.
.”
When everyone including Cen Zhi heard this, they immediately thought, "Let me tell you, there is no free lunch in the world. The other party really made a bid."
However, after hearing what Pang Gang said, Cen Zhi felt relieved a lot. He said in a deep voice: "My lord, please give me a request. As long as I can do it, I will definitely not refuse."
Pang Gang cleared his throat and said: "Well, that's it. Since this battalion of soldiers and horses is going to be stationed in Kaifeng, then the Kaifeng Mansion must bear all their military pay, food, material losses and other expenses while they are stationed in Kaifeng. This requirement
It’s not too much.”
"Well, it's not too much. This is what it should be." Everyone nodded in agreement on this point. They came all the way to defend the city for you, so the expenses should naturally be borne by Kaifeng. Is it possible that you still allow it?
If they can't support this army for you, they don't owe you anything.
"That's the second thing." Pang Gang thought for a while and then said: "Since I want to move all the refugees in Kaifeng Mansion to Shandong, then I have to have money and food to settle these people. Naturally, I have to rely on Kaifeng for this money.
The gentry and wealthy people are here to help me."
"Oh...that's it." After hearing this, everyone here was relieved. It turned out that this huge man wanted to move tens of thousands of refugees from Kaifeng City to Shandong. But he didn't have enough.
Therefore, they came up with this trick, asking the local government and gentry of Kaifeng to donate a sum of money in the name of helping Kaifeng defend the city. This would give each of them what they needed.
Since everyone gets what they need, that's easy to say. Putting aside his doubts, Cen Zhi stroked his beard and said, "I wonder how much money Da Da Da needs to relocate these refugees?"
Pang Gang smiled slightly and held out two fingers: "It's not much. I only need 200,000 taels of silver and 200,000 shi of grain."
"What? Two hundred thousand taels of silver and two hundred thousand shi of grain?" An exclamation came from nearby, and the magistrate of Tongxu County, Xu Zhian, said in surprise: "Sir, is this too much? Two hundred thousand taels of silver is actually
I think it won’t be a big deal for all the gentry and wealthy people here to put it together, but it’s very difficult for the Kaifeng Mansion to come up with two hundred thousand shi of food.”
These days, grain is more valuable than silver. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, one tael of silver could buy two or three kilo of rice. Now one tael of rice costs several taels of silver. Especially in the past two years, there have been droughts, and Henan has been hit by locust plagues. In addition, there are Tatars and rogue bandits.
With the epidemic raging, food becomes more and more valuable.
"It seems that Pang Gang wants to pass on all the costs of relocating the refugees to us." No one on the table was a fool. After a little thought, they understood Pang Gang's intention. In this way, their thoughts became clear.
The two hundred thousand taels of silver are fine, but the two hundred thousand stones of grain are not a small amount. Kaifeng Guancang, a place so poor that even rats would come out with tears in their eyes, cannot afford such a large sum.
If you don't have enough money and food, the only way is to apportion it.
"Split!"
As soon as this word appeared in the minds of the officials, ingots of shining silver seemed to appear in front of their eyes. Apportionment is a good thing, which also means that they can do tricks in the middle and make a little money to spend.
.
Cen Zhi's mind was also spinning rapidly. At this critical juncture, those gentry would no longer hold their money tightly. If he shared it with them, there would be no big problem. If he didn't want to give
That's fine. Let the soldiers come to your house to get it when the time comes. For the government, if you can leave a battalion of elite soldiers to defend the city without spending a tael of silver from the government, you will be punished by God if you don't take advantage of this.
.
Thinking of this, Cen Zhi looked at the only two old men on the table who were not wearing official uniforms, looked over, and asked with a smile: "Mr. Dexin, Gong Xianming, what do you think of Master Pang's proposal?"
These two old men can sit at a table of at least six or seven-rank officials as civilians, so they are not just like cats and dogs.
In fact, the origins of the two of them are indeed not simple. The fat old man was the last magistrate of Kaifeng, named Lu Guang, and the other thin one was the Minister of Household Affairs who returned from the capital the year before last.
Although Feng Yiqun has already become an official, he has the highest prestige among the gentry in Kaifeng City, so he was able to sit at this table.
The two old men looked at each other, and Lu Guang, who was slightly fat in appearance, spoke, "Pang Pang is indeed right. I and Mr. Xianming have no objection to this, but is 200,000 shi of grain too much?"
"More, please note that the food supply in Kaifeng City is very tight now." Pang Gang was bidding all over the place, and this man started to pay back the money.
"Tight, tight!" Pang Gang wanted to hit his head a few times to see if it was filled with rooster feathers. Although he was unhappy in his heart, he still smiled and said: "Mr. Dexin, your
I don’t want to hear this anymore. Two hundred thousand shi of food is a lot, but it’s nothing compared to solving the problem of 60,000 refugees once and for all. Do you think this is true?”
Pang Gang's words meant the same thing, "I helped you solve your major problem. I can't help you in vain. You can't do it without bleeding."
Seeing Pang Gang's resolute attitude, Lu Guang and Feng Yiqun fell silent, thinking about how much each household would pay after being divided equally among the wealthy gentry and wealthy households.
After a while, Lu Guangcai said: "Okay, I and I can make the decision and agree to your request, but you also have to promise me one thing."
"Mr. Dexin, please speak!"
Lu Guang said solemnly: "In order to avoid harassment by the rogue bandits again, you must ensure that the troops stationed in Kaifeng will stay for at least half a year and cannot withdraw to Shandong in advance. If the rogue bandits besiege Kaifeng again, you must send troops to help Kaifeng. If you can agree to this,
, I can guarantee that I will be able to collect the amount of money and food you requested within three days."
"Yes, this old man is afraid that after taking the money, he will cross the river and burn the bridge." Pang Gang couldn't help but laugh and cry for a moment. He tried his best to send troops to Kaifeng City in vain. It's better now. He was still afraid that he would leave early.
"Mr. Dexin, don't worry, I still have this credibility. Since I promised to ensure the safety of Kaifeng, I will definitely not break my promise. No matter what, I will station a battalion of troops in Kaifeng City.
." Pang Gang clapped his chest and made an unshakable assurance, "But there is one thing I have to prove. I must send these soldiers, but as the saying goes, soldiers who can make a solid camp and have flowing water can't do it.
The soldiers and horses of the camp have to change their defenses frequently, I hope you can forgive me for this."
"Change defense?" After hearing this, everyone quickly understood what Pang Gang meant. They all stared at Pang Gang and said to themselves that this man Pang Pang was suspected of being very ill. He was afraid that a battalion of soldiers and horses would be stationed in one place for a long time.
They will be bribed by us, so we will simply switch defenses from time to time, but this method is not bad, and I have learned a lot today.
The banquet was enjoyed by everyone. Pang Gang finally inserted one of his hands into Kaifeng City, and the officials of Kaifeng City were guaranteed safety. Everyone achieved their goals and everyone was happy.
After the banquet, Cen Zhi invited Pang Gang to sleep at the magistrate's yamen, but Pang Gang refused. When Pang Gang, who was a little drunk, returned to the military camp to rest, the soldiers guarding Pang Gang's tent came to report.
, saying that a guest asked to see Pang Gang and had been waiting for a long time.
"Well, do you want to see me? Have you found out who he is?" Pang Gang shook his dizzy head and felt puzzled.
The soldier shook his head and said, "The villain doesn't know, and that person won't tell."
"Bring him to the big tent, I will see him." After saying that, Pang Gang opened the tent curtain and walked in.
After entering the tent, Pang Gang sat down on the hard wooden stool and drank the hot tea brought by his own soldiers. A scent of hot tea with a bitter taste entered his stomach, and he felt a little more awake.
, Pang Gang closed his eyes and rested for a while, and then a report came from outside the tent: "Your Majesty, the guests have been brought."
"Come in!" Pang Gang put down his tea cup, sat upright and looked out.
The curtain was opened, and an elegant-looking scholar, about forty years old, wearing a long gown, walked in accompanied by a soldier.
As soon as he came in, he raised his hand to Pang Gang and said, "Student Wen Renjun has seen the general!"
Pang Gang did not answer, but looked at this person with great interest. This guy who called himself Wen Renjun was tall and slender, with elegant appearance, and his eyes were as gentle as jade, shining with light. This appearance was not ordinary.
In later generations, he will definitely be an out-and-out master killer.
Pang Gang looked at Wen Renjun rudely, but Wen Renjun showed no sign of weakness and was waiting for Pang Gang intently. The two of them looked at each other like cross-eyes. After several years of life as a superior and the battle on the battlefield,
After hard training, Pang Gang now exudes a sense of majesty all the time. In ancient terms, this thing is official prestige. Most people really don't dare to look at him. Unexpectedly, this Wen Renjun has nothing to do with it.
She stared at him nervously.
After a while, Pang Gang burst out laughing. He pointed at the thick black wooden bench next to him and said, "Sir, you are so brave. Please sit down!"
Wen Renjun sat down unceremoniously. The soldiers quickly brought tea. Wen Renjun picked up the tea cup and drank several times. After drinking the tea in one breath, he wiped the corners of his mouth and said
: “I didn’t expect that I could drink such excellent Yuqian Longjing in the army, it’s so rare!”
Pang Gang laughed and said, "Thank you for your praise, sir. I know nothing about tea ceremony. My wife helped me arrange this tea."
When it comes to tea ceremony, he has mastered seven of them and six of them. There is still one thing he doesn't understand. However, several of his daughters-in-law are experts in this art, especially Wei Manting, who is a tea lover, although she also knows her husband.
Every time she drank tea, it was as wasteful as a cow chewing peonies, but every time Pang Gang went on an expedition, she would prepare a bag of good tea for the soldiers to take with them. This could be regarded as a way of caring for her husband.
Wen Renjun also laughed. This general has a bold temperament and interesting conversation. He is indeed a wonderful person.
The two chatted for a while, which diluted the awkward atmosphere a lot. Then Pang Gang asked: "Mr. Wen came to visit late at night. You didn't come here to have tea with me, right?"
Pang Gang's words were meant to be ridiculing. After all, no matter in which era, it is extremely rude for a stranger to visit the owner late at night.
But this Wen Renjun said without changing his expression: "Some things are not convenient to say during the day, so it is more appropriate to say them at night."
"Haha..." Pang Gang couldn't help being annoyed by him, "Okay, I'll see what you can tell me. If you can't tell me, I'll punish you."
Wen Renjun looked at Pang Gang with bright eyes and said jokingly: "General, do you really want to hear what I said?"
Pang Gang became impatient. "Of course, can it be fake?"
"Then Wen Mou said that?"
"Nonsense, just say it if you have something to say."
Wen Renjun changed his previous cynical expression, looked serious, and said word by word: "I'm afraid the general is about to rebel!"
"bass......"
In the midst of a clear groan, a cold light flashed, and Pang Gang's sharp scimitar was already placed on Wen Renjun's neck. If he had moved an inch forward, Wen Renjun would have been able to say goodbye to this world.
Pang Gang shouted sharply: "Tell me, who sent you!"
"Crash!" The curtain opened. Shi Bowen, who was standing outside, heard the noise and rushed in. Behind him was a group of murderous soldiers. Seeing Pang Gang's knife on Wen Renjun's neck,
Shi Bowen quickly asked: "Sir, do you want to despise your position and kill him?"
Wen Renjun, who had the knife on his neck, said calmly: "General Pang, this is your territory. If the students do anything detrimental to you, you can kill the students with just a move of your fingers."
, even if you want to kill the student, it’s not too late to wait until the student finishes speaking.”
At this time, Pang Gang's cold eyes showed a murderous look. This Wenrenjun who appeared out of nowhere said that he was going to rebel as soon as they met. If anyone heard him, he would be in big trouble.
After taking a long breath, Pang Gang put away the scimitar in his hand and said: "Okay, tell me, if you can't tell me that you are ugly, don't blame me for being rude to you."
Seeing that his life was temporarily held, Wen Renjun couldn't help but touch his neck, as if he still felt a chill lingering on it. He looked at Pang Gang carefully for a while and then said with a bitter smile: "Sure enough, he is worthy of killing.
No wonder the decisive general can kill the Tatars and bandits. But it is better for the general to retreat."
Pang Gang waved his hand, and Shi Bowen retreated with all the soldiers. Pang Gang said calmly: "Tell me, if your reasons cannot satisfy me, you will inevitably be stabbed."
After hearing this, Wen Renjun asked with a smile: "Is what the student Shicai said wrong? Does the general really have no such intention? If he did not have such an intention, why would the general leave a battalion of soldiers and horses in Luoyang? Is it really just for some money?
That’s it?”
"How did you know that I left a battalion of troops in Luoyang?"
Pang Gang's eyes lit up again. It was no secret that he had left a battalion of troops in Luoyang, but it was a bit intriguing that it had spread to Kaifeng so quickly. Could it be that someone was dealing with him secretly?
While Pang Gang was deep in thought, Wen Renjun smiled: "General, don't think too much. It is purely a coincidence that the students know this news. It is not someone deliberately targeting the general."
Wen Renjun paused and said: "Although Wen has been in Kaifeng these years, he has already become very familiar with the general. The general was able to rise from a poor military household with no money to being in power in less than three years."
From the second-rank right governor of Nanjing to the commander-in-chief of Shandong, who in the entire Ming Dynasty does not admire them?"
Pang Gang said with a smile but not a smile: "Don't flatter me, I said, if you can't give me a reason, I will still give you a knife."
Wen Renjun smiled: "Well, let the student speak frankly. In fact, everyone knows about Pandaren's discord with the imperial court. The entire Ming Dynasty officialdom is well aware of this, but the student has studied the generals' relationship.
After what he did, he came to the conclusion that the general was by no means a mediocre person, and rebellion would be a matter of time."
Pang Gang said expressionlessly: "I still said the same thing, the reason!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to (.) to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest support.
power.)
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