Three hundred and sixty eighth chapter Desire to die
"You get up first and then talk." Zhong Jinwei has been in Daming for almost a year. He is still not used to an older person kneeling in front of him and talking, so he said to Hong Chengchou first.
Seeing that Zhong Jinwei was serious, Hong Chengchou said with a grateful face: "Thank you, Lord Marquis."
Then he stood up, faced Zhong Jinwei, and began to narrate his story: "Since Xiaguan took office as governor of Yansui, his first priority is to suppress bandits. The bandits in the mountains are so anxious that they are bandits from all walks of life. Every day
When they arrive at a place, they take advantage of the local people, and the team grows like a snowball. The local governments are unable to annihilate them, so they have to send out the army. But the army is on the verge of danger and cannot leave."
Hong Chengchou was a governor from Fujian. His family was poor and he did not have a prominent family background. When encountering problems, he naturally had fewer means than ordinary people to solve problems. Therefore, it was naturally more difficult for him to solve problems than ordinary people.
"Is there something about the border army's lack of pay?" Zhong Jinwei interrupted him and asked.
"Yes, and no." Hong Chengchou pretended to be mysterious for a moment, and then explained in detail: "In the past, the military pay for the border troops in Yansui was just enough for the sergeants to survive. The imperial court delayed the military pay.
, and the generals were unwilling to use the money and grain they had previously withheld for relief, so when there was a war, they passed the pressure to the lower officials."
"Is this deprivation of military pay?" Zhong Jinwei saw that Hong Chengchou was speaking in a vague way, so he pointed it out directly.
"The Marquis is wise! Although the subordinates know about this matter, it is not easy to get angry at this time of employing people. Fortunately, the emperor has passed down the imperial edict before, stating that the military pay owed will be paid in the near future. After hearing this, the military leaders suggested
The official went to the squire to advance the money, but the interest was very high."
When Hong Chengchou said this, he looked a little helpless. Without soldiers and food, he could only be controlled by the soldiers who led the troops.
"Is there anything else?" Zhong Jinwei asked. Because he knew from Hong Chengchou's words that the interest would definitely be converted in advance, so the military pay would not be paid in full.
"The border troops in Yansui were owed about 150,000 taels of silver, but the squires received less than 50,000 taels after deducting interest in advance. The silver they received was not enough to pay the army. In desperation, they had to embezzle Governor Yang's money.
The food and wages were distributed to appease the bandits, so that the army could move out to encircle and suppress the bandits."
When Hong Chengchou talked about misappropriation, he was still a little scared. Although Zhong Jinwei was his benefactor, he didn't understand what kind of person Zhong Jinwei was.
Therefore, he added another sentence: "If the army can't march out, how can we surrender the thieves? Therefore, after thinking over and over again, I still misappropriated it."
"Oh, is this the origin of your nickname Hong Shatou?" Zhong Jinwei heard this and asked with a frown.
Hong Chengchou didn't expect Marquis Zhongxing to know that he was nicknamed by the bandits recently. He explained helplessly: "Master Marquis, in my opinion, if the imperial court does not increase its efforts in disaster relief, just the small amount of money and food issued by Governor Yang will not help.
.Rather than letting those bandits go back and rebel again, it would be better to solve them on the spot."
Although Zhong Jinwei was not very happy that Hong Chengchou adopted such a ruthless method, from a rational point of view, this killing method was not a solution that saved time and effort at that time.
"Thieves are human beings too. Killing alone will harm Tianhe. If you kill the thieves, you will force those thieves to fight with the court to the end. In the future, you should pay more attention and don't just think about killing. I have one thing to say
Give it to you." Although Zhong Jinwei is younger than Hong Chengchou, he has a high status, and no one in the tent felt it was inappropriate to speak to Hong Chengchou in such lecturing words.
"I will listen attentively, and I will ask the Marquis for instructions." Hong Chengchou was a good person and kept his attitude very low.
"There is no desperate environment, only desperate people." Zhong Jinwei looked at Hong Chengchou and said earnestly, and then explained to him in a practical way: "The imperial court could not allocate money and food for the time being, so it was desperate to appease the thieves and adopted simple measures.
Kill, this is actually a problem of your mind. If you think about it seriously, you will always find a way. Do you understand?"
"Your Majesty, I have been taught a lesson. I will remember the Marquis's teachings next time and work hard to find a way out for the thieves." Zhong Jinwei's words touched Hong Chengchou's heart. His face turned red and he quickly agreed to Zhong Jinwei's advice.
As a bachelor governor with no backing and no influence, killing and surrendering is the simplest method for him. There are other methods, but they will either be very labor-intensive or will offend a group of people, which is very difficult for him.
To put it bluntly, it's not cost-effective.
"It's good that you know. I remember that you were also born in poverty, and you should understand the suffering of poor people. You have talents, and I hope you use them to benefit the people. Don't be afraid of offending others. I will protect you in the court, unless I die.
Otherwise, others will not blame you for speaking and doing things for the people."
Based on Hong Chengchou's history, Zhong Jinwei inferred that he might have had enough of poor life when he was a child, so he was very afraid of returning to the living environment of his childhood. Now that he is an official, he does not dare to offend others, and he is timid in doing things and uses all his talents.
We've reached a crooked road.
Therefore, he repeatedly warned Hong Chengchou, hoping that under his butterfly wings, there would be a brand new Hong Chengchou.
Hong Chengchou had also learned a lot in the officialdom, and his ability to observe people's emotions was extremely proficient. He could see that Marquis Zhongxing was sincere to him.
Hong Chengchou was suddenly moved. He no longer had the previous attitude of coping, and said sincerely: "I will definitely live up to the expectations of the Marquis."
Zhong Jinwei nodded, expressed his approval, and then said: "As for those squires taking advantage of the opportunity to make bloody wealth. I will not let them go, so you don't need to worry about this matter."
When Hong Chengchou heard this, he was a little worried about Zhong Jinwei's young impulsiveness, so he reminded him: "Master Marquis, although those squires took advantage of the opportunity to make money, their actions did not violate the law. If you, Master Marquis..."
Zhong Jinwei shook his hand at Hong Chengchou, interrupted him, and then smiled slightly and said: "Don't worry, I won't be impulsive. If you act according to the law, you can make them want to die."
Hong Chengchou was stunned when he heard Zhong Jinwei casually say that he was ecstatic, and he had a misunderstanding about Zhong Jinwei, thinking that he was young and lustful.
However, Gu Baichuan and others knew that since they escorted Zhong Jinwei, they had never seen the Marquis asking a woman to accompany him to his bed, and they were focused on important court matters. If they said that Zhongxing Hou was lustful, they would not believe it even to death. But Zhongxing Marquis just said such a thing
The metaphor made them a little puzzled. Could it be that Mr. Hou is a boring man?
Zhong Jinwei said a few words himself, but was not aware of it, and continued: "After the surrounding environment stabilizes, it should not be difficult to rectify those generals with your talents. However, you must pay attention to propriety. At present, stability must be the priority.
.The natural disaster in Shaanxi will take many years, and you have to stabilize the situation in Shaanxi for the imperial court."
Hong Chengchou felt a little numb when he heard what Zhongxing Hou said. There was always something unexpected in what Zhongxing Hou said. Even if he could observe the sky at night, he would not be able to understand the climate changes in a few years. Hong Chengchou's mind automatically interpreted it as Zhongxing Hou's words.
With exaggeration.
He also learned from Zhongxing Hou's words that he was afraid that he would have to work here for many years. But he was not afraid either. Before having Zhongxing Hou as his backer, he had slowly established his authority in the process of suppressing bandits.
The army he has led is much more elite than before. Now that the environment is stable, it will be easy to rectify those generals.
"Don't worry, Lord Marquis, I know what I'm talking about." Hong Chengchou replied with clasped fists.
"Okay, then you lead the way and pay the military pay to those squires." Zhong Jinwei said humorously, then stood up and prepared to set off.
As for the generals who followed Hong Chengchou to pay homage, Zhong Jinwei did not plan to meet them now, and would wait until they arrived in Yulin.
Because the big asphalt fort was not very big, the caravans had not unloaded their goods. Therefore, as soon as the army moved, they set off together without any delay.
When the drunken guard Zhao Zhiqi was awakened by his subordinates and hurried out of the city, he only got a taste of the dust from the army's departure.
Zhong Jinwei's speed was not too slow. The border troops who had joined Hong Chengchou had left the big asphalt fort behind. But Jianlu's scouting horses were faster. They were rushing back from the Guanning line to Shengjing at all costs. They had important information to report to the Great Khan.