When the strong wind blew up, Li Twelve, with an inexplicable but strong sentimental emotion, left the east capital city from the upper east gate where he grew up, worked as an official, and spent more than 80% of his life.
But Dongdu City only stood firm in the strong wind.
In the next few days, the south wind blew gusts, but it did not bring enough water vapor between Huaishang and Jianghan. There were only a few light rains in the western part of Tojing and Kinki, which were supposed to be rainy in May.
At this time, Zhang Xing was still inspecting villages in Dongjun and Jiyin counties where he was responsible for inspection.
Different from before, more and more accompanying documents and staff were temporarily transferred from Hebei and various counties and counties. Many leaders also came together, and more and more items were investigated and recorded. This made the speed of inspecting the villages fluctuate and the pace of the inspections fluctuated.
When it was slow, we only visited three or five villages a day, and when it was fast, we visited seven or eight. But after about ten days, we still visited seventy or eighty villages.
At the same time, the captains and deputy captains of the two counties, who generally serve as county magistrates, county lieutenants and other middle and high-level officials who received the order, also went to the counties to make supplements, and even the leaders of the two counties
, there are also imitative behaviors.
There is actually a tendency to visit all the villages in the two counties in one summer. This is the so-called practice that leads to effective results.
On this day in late May, Zhang Dalongtou arrived at a village east of Jiyin City on the south bank of Jishui River. After completing his routine inspection, he wanted to go directly to the city, but unexpectedly, the wind suddenly picked up, and then there were dark clouds in the sky.
It was densely covered with faint thunder, as if it were a summer storm, so I simply stayed in the village with the others and took some shelter.
Moreover, because the village here is close to the county town and has an official road on the outside, there are workshops inside and pavilions outside, which is quite different from ordinary villages. Naturally, Zhang Xing and others were allowed to move into a place near the road early.
Within the building.
Between the wind and rain, upstairs and downstairs are completely different.
On the lower floor there were mostly accompanying documents and staff, who were taking the opportunity to summarize the various situations in the village, causing it to become a mess.
To be honest, the voice was a bit loud, even over the sound of wind and rain outside, but it was understandable that many of these people were county officials, and Zhang Xing had promoted four or five people in succession in the past ten days.
Transferred to his staff and clerical class, they couldn't wait to show their abilities.
It was much quieter on the upper floor. This does not mean that the leaders and Zhang Dalongtou's confidants above were so personable, or that they deliberately listened to the sounds below... On the contrary, these people were all carefully observing what was happening outside at this time.
It was raining so hard that I chose to go upstairs just for this ridiculous reason.
The sound of rain and the sounds below formed an obvious and rhythmic symphony.
"This village is different from the previous places. No one here wants to be a soldier..."
"You have an industry, and you don't have to worry about food and clothing when you come back. Why do you have to work hard as a soldier?"
"First ask if it is true, and then why is it so? Who told you that no one here wants to be a soldier?"
"I asked personally and also checked the records of seven or eight families who want to be demobilized. They are all willing to let people come back, including several wealthy families, and they are not willing to let their children serve in the army."
"Then do you know how many of these two are serving as sergeants in the gang, apart from those who were demobilized this time?"
"How many?"
"Forty-seven! Thirty-nine of them are serving in the army in Hebei, and they all joined the army themselves!"
"How can it be?"
"How is it impossible? These are street gangsters, ruthless knights, so-called brave men who are not afraid of death and seek fame. When the uprising happened, Jiyin was lagging behind. They didn't get to join the first wave of uprisings and defected to the army, so they were already very anxious.
But then the gang cheered up a little, and they joined the army one after another. Some people joined the army after Lishan, and some people went to join the army after crossing Hebei... This kind of people, who have no property at home and are unwilling to work hard for a long time, are mostly in this kind of people.
This is the place where countryside and towns meet. You, Brother Zhao Qi, are also an old official with many years of experience. How come you forgot about this?"
"But...but if that's the case, why are all the demobilized..."
"After experiencing Da Longtou's inspection of 50 villages in Dongjun, Jiyin people have long understood a lot of truth, and they have readjusted the list of retired soldiers early."
"I see... But, isn't there a saying in selecting soldiers, that is, those who have perseverance have perseverance?"
"That was the time to defend our hometown. Nowadays, most of the wars are in Hebei. For the people in the east, it is more like making meritorious services and seeking careers. At this time, they are not as brave as those street knights who dare to fight."
"What Xiao Liu said makes sense."
"..."
"..."
Zhang Xing lowered his head and listened for a while, put down the ice-cold sour plum soup in his hand, and looked up again to look at the rain outside. His expression remained unchanged the whole time: "The rain has lightened up?"
"I'm afraid we can't expect too much from this rain." Chen Bin, who was standing by the window with his hands behind his hands, replied with a dark face. "In previous years, it rained continuously for ten or twenty days, but now it only rains intermittently for two or three days."
In the field, there is still little water, and the light rain cannot penetrate the soil...I am afraid that the production will really be reduced during the autumn harvest."
"Actually, it's not that serious." Xie Minghe persuaded from the side. "I asked specifically a few days ago, and the locals said that in previous years, waterlogging would be drained after the rain in May. Even if there is a drought this time, it is not a major disaster. It is like this every year.
Good weather? It's just a common occurrence. And we have also seen these days that the people in Dongjun and Jiyin are trying their best to save food. There was obviously new millet last year, but they were unwilling to eat it. I will definitely be able to survive it when the time comes. "
"That's not what you said." Yan Qing, who had obviously restrained himself a lot since being criticized by Zhang Xing last time, interjected. "There were no wars in the past years, but now the world is in chaos. Moreover, our territory is limited after all, and we have fought many battles.
, there is basically no warehousing, and we have no way or ability to learn how to confine and control the victims like Bao Wei... Therefore, if one thing is not handled well, a small disaster will become a big one."
"That's what I mean." Chen Bin nodded immediately. "That's what I'm worried about."
"I don't know what will happen to Hebei..." Dou Lide also added with a sad face.
"According to the information passed back, Hebei is similar to here, but with timely water conservancy improvements, it is actually a little better. The Qilu area east of Juyeze has better rainfall, but Dengzhou can be said to have good weather this year... You guys
You really don’t need to worry too much. No matter how difficult it is, can you still be sad about the past two years?” Xie Minghe blurted out, but he was curious for a moment. “Chief Dou, you can also see these messages, and you must have read them specifically, but you didn’t make any judgment.
? Several times in Hebei, didn't you tell me that you knew farming since you were a child? Did you still lie?"
"It's not cheating, it's just that I haven't participated in farming for a long time." Dou Lide rarely blushed. "In the early years, working in the fields was indispensable, but after becoming a county official, it was actually less, let alone now?"
Xie Minghe nodded, noncommittal. Ma Wei, who had never had much to say on such topics, turned his head curiously and looked over. Xu Dalang, Wang Wulang, and Zhai Qian, who were sitting next to him, also took the opportunity to look at them.
I looked at this person and didn't know what he was thinking.
"We still need to take precautions as much as possible." Zhang Xing responded seriously. "If the rain period in May is over, if it still doesn't work properly, then we can't make it in time. We might as well renovate the small water conservancy projects around Jishui. It will be a little slower if we can."
"That's the only way." Chen Bin sighed, worried. "But I'm still afraid of war."
"If it really happens, we can't escape it." Zhang Xing answered calmly. "Just do our part."
The horse is surrounded by words.
However, at this moment, as the sound of rain at the beginning gradually fell with the momentum of the rain, the sound of the argument below surfaced again, and it was obviously high-pitched. Everyone stopped and listened attentively.
"This is actually a good thing..."
"This... can this all be a good thing?"
"If you think about it, the taxation of two li of this kind of village is actually equivalent to ten li of an ordinary village. And we all know how much trouble these market wanderers will cause to the village if they stay here, and make those who have the heart of constant production
Wouldn’t it be inconvenient to leave the people behind for production and centrally organize the rangers to join the army?”
"I always feel like something is wrong."
"Of course not... Xiao Liu is only talking about the things in these two areas at the moment, but can the things in these two areas be generalized? Next to the official road, close to the city, etc.? In most rural villages,
You still have to use your previous experience.”
"Um……"
"Furthermore, the situation of people from the eastern border joining the army in Hebei is only temporary. In the future, there will be more territory and the situation will definitely be more complicated."
"That's right. It's not complicated. I just say that it is more powerful to have a permanent guard to guard the hometown. So why don't we stop guarding here in the East?"
"What the two of you said, don't you think that there is only one rule for selecting soldiers in the gang, it's either this or that? Why can't we classify them into different categories and design a set of paperwork specifically for this kind of village, and make a specific law?"
"You have violated a huge taboo."
"Not bad...Xiao Liu is still young."
"If there are more categories of things like laws and regulations, we will have to work several times harder at each level, but it is just our hard work. The most important thing is that as long as there are new classifications, in practice, they will often be
It has become a place for wealthy and powerful families to take advantage of... and it has also become a loophole for many officials to collude with wealthy families."
"Do you mean that there are no loopholes in the previous land recruitment system? Will wealthy and powerful families not collude with officials?"
"Of course there is collusion, but in the final analysis, under the system of land grant and equalization, the corresponding system is definitely the system of fair recruitment based on land... Dalongtou has also said in the past few days that the main thing we want is fairness, fair taxation and fair corvee
Only when it is done well can it win people's hearts. But now that you have added an extra category, you only choose market wanderers and do not touch workshops and merchants. From another perspective, is it unfair? In particular, how to delineate which places?
In this kind of combination of urban and rural areas? How can we identify who are the scoundrels in the city?"
"this……"
"Isn't that true? With one strike, a good man who wants to stay at home will be regarded as a scoundrel and sent to the army just because his wife and daughter are beautiful."
"..."
"Xiao Liu, don't be discouraged. Of course I know you have good intentions, and in this kind of place, the rangers in the city prefer to gain fame. If you just select them, you will get two birds with one stone. But the law cannot only consider the benefits and ignore it."
The impact and practical implementation difficulties.”
The rain has become lighter, the clouds have dispersed significantly, and the vision has become clearer.
Listening to the conversation downstairs, Cui Suchen made a formal request to Zhang Xing: "Longtou, I think this experienced county official below can be promoted a little so that I can consult with him when revising laws. He should do the paperwork himself."
It’s quite sophisticated.”
Zhang Xing nodded: "Actually, both of them can be promoted. The mature one has more experience and knows the complexity and dangers below. The young one is also good. He can see the specific situation at the junction of urban and rural areas, and then dare to propose
New methods should be encouraged...Whether they work or not is another matter and can be discussed again, but having such people is better than being lifeless."
Several people nodded one after another.
Xie Minghe, on the other hand, still couldn't help but said: "If you weren't upstairs, how could one of these two be so mature and the other so eager to try?"
Everyone laughed, but soon, Ma Wei suddenly spoke seriously: "I just talked about farming, of course I don't know anything, but listening to your words, I actually have a big worry... that is, even if we can do it in the East,
It's good that we can survive this moderate drought, but other places, especially Huaixi, are in chaos, and Du Po Formation can't control the situation at all. It's one thing to ask for support from us when the time comes.
The Huaixi disaster victims have simply lost control and flowed in in large numbers. How should we deal with it?"
This is indeed an important topic.
"Du Pozhen is too powerful and ambitious. He relied on the power of the Huaiyou Alliance to encircle the six counties of Huaixi and swallow him up. He even threw the Fu Bo Stone out for the sake of
What, do you really think everyone doesn’t understand?” Chen Bin simply concluded. “Now that he is choked up, it’s just his own fault, and his true ability has been completely exposed.”
"It's just your own fault." Yan Qing said with a frown. "It's okay to hurt us...it's okay to hurt us. The key is that he's not willing to give us a clear explanation. He came over when the decision was made before, pretending to be like a big boss.
When I returned to Huaixi, he only talked about the Huaiyou Alliance, and the people he sent there were just placed in Huankou to settle accounts, and they didn't respond happily this time."
"If that's the case, then why do you still have to keep the Huaiyou Alliance?" Dou Lide asked seriously. "How about cutting it off and leaving Huaixi to be a mess... We really don't need to do it for a little fame.
I’m tired of this.”
Hearing this, many leaders hesitated to speak.
"Because the bones are broken and the tendons are connected." Xu Dalang suddenly said quietly from the side. "Everything has to talk about the origin, and it is not impossible to break it. But what about Fu Boshi, Wang Xiongdan, and Ma Ping'er? What about Huai?
Xiying is so useful, why should we send it back? Also, like Chang Fu, the two leaders Yan Qing just live in Liangjun, which is fine. The other internal servants, the Dangshan Army and Meng Zhigui, there are many leaders and
What about the territories in the south that go deep into Huaixi? The most important ones are the two Wu leaders. They are in Huaixi now. Why? It’s not impossible to cut them off, but it will cause trouble."
Wang Xiongdan, who was standing at the top of the stairs, remained silent.
"The key is that the position of leader of the rebel army cannot be thrown away!" Chen Bin emphasized again. "Even if they are separated, it must be because they disobeyed instructions, rebelled and left our gang, rather than us taking the initiative to cut them off."
"That's the truth." Xie Minghe emphasized. "Not to mention that the Huaiyou League was originally founded by Zhang Longtou, why should it be given to him?"
Zhang Xing still sat still, thoughtful.
It's not that he suddenly became taciturn or stupid after just ten days. He knew very well what the people here and downstairs were thinking and why they said what they said.
Although Chen Bin, Xie Minghe, and Cui Suchen have differences in their acting styles and personal philosophies, they are all people with higher backgrounds, sufficient aristocratic education, and even senior bureaucratic experience. They mostly start from the overall situation and think about the overall situation and development.
However, the other leaders are actually somewhat incompatible with them, or to be more precise, they are dissatisfied with them, and their arrogance, publicity, and self-preservation make it difficult for them to take the initiative to cater to these leaders.
Although people on both sides were talking about the same thing, they were always at a loss for words. Even if Yan Qing learned his lesson and tried to bridge the gap, it had no effect.
Xu Dalang seemed to have a thorough analysis, but in essence he was still used to talking for the locals. He only talked about these peripheral organizations, but did not talk about the economic problems of Dongjun and Jiyin, two developed commercial areas... Huaixi
Are the six counties really no longer dependent on their specialties, raw materials, and transportation between Huan River and Huai River?
If nothing else, how do the lacquerware workshops in the Guandaoside village at our feet, which is so prosperous that it is divided into two li, maintain operation? Where does the sour plum in the sour plum soup come from?
Not to mention, according to the investigation these days, in the past six months, the Huaiyou League has swept through Huaixi from the beginning, but later became obviously weak, so that it was counterattacked by local powerful and local officials, making Huaixi a mess.
, although it formed a huge factor of military and political instability, but because of this, there was a wave of migration. Many strong men, craftsmen, and merchants in the six counties dispersed. Most of them went to Dongdu, and not to Xiangfan.
There are also many people who go to the mountainous areas in the west of Huainan, but there are also many people who come to the east.
These people are a great asset to the two counties that have survived the first batch of wars and have stabilized.
In addition, there are two people who are also special at first sight.
Ma Wei was okay, he was obviously observing everyone, but Dou Lide was a little embarrassed. In Hebei, he was like a fish in water, he could eat up, down, left, and right, and everyone around him really relied on him. But once he arrived in the East, the topic
After the change, he turned into a fish that landed on the beach. He really couldn't rely on him anywhere, and no one was too lazy to pay attention to him.
As for problems, Zhang Xing certainly knows the current situation and where the new problems lie.
The response to the possible drought, the intervention in the situation in Huaixi, and the eternal organizational construction...that is, the internal and legitimate issues that everyone is deliberately avoiding today are all before us, and none of them are indispensable.
Moreover, Zhang Dalongtou has long been concerned about these things.
However, these days of visits, the accumulation of a large amount of data, and the knowledge of so-called local customs made him feel more and more complex about people and things.
The so-called class, region, economy, and folk traditions all exist objectively, and all are correct, but none of them seem to be able to completely explain everything. They are more like threads, entangled together, forming a
this complex society.
And this is just rural areas. Cities, commercial and transportation settlements, and military strongholds must have their own set of things.
People-to-people issues within organizations are more complicated, because all problems are essentially people issues.
Of course, as the same saying goes, no matter how difficult it is, we can never stop our progress.
"Wang Xiong's birthday."
As the rain outside stopped, many people went out to catch their breath. Zhang Xing came back to his senses and looked directly at one of them.
"My subordinate is here." Wang Xiongdan's heart skipped a beat and he quickly handed over his hand.
"Give you a chance to be a filial son." Zhang Xing ordered sternly. "It also gives me a chance to be a good and loyal brother. Go there in person and tell me everything about the disputes within the gang.
He listened, and then told him that the Huaiyou League was on his plate. I recognized this. He wanted to do big things, and I was willing to give him a chance, but the chance would not always be there... I gave him ten days.
No matter how difficult it is for him or what complicated thoughts he has, he will come to Jiyin immediately and tell me clearly in person... As long as he comes and talks to me in person, we are a family and everything is easy to discuss. But if he doesn't come, we will be together when we meet again.
There’s nothing to say!”
Wang Xiongdan answered with difficulty and went downstairs.
"That's right." Zhang Xing suddenly stopped the other party. "By the way, ask him for me. His cultivation is so poor that he can't even condense elixir to save his life, but he has always been able to stay in Huankou. Why does Xuzhou Sima Zheng have such thoughts?
You went to Langya to pry so many people away, but you didn’t have the heart to fly to the chief helmsman of the Huaiyou League in Huankou and kill him with one knife?”
Wang Xiongdan was stunned, handed over his hand again, and hurried away.
The rest of the people looked complicated and each had their own thoughts.
Leader Zhang Dalong watched the other party go downstairs and hurried away with his horses. However, he no longer hesitated. Instead, he drank the iced sour plum soup on the table in one gulp, then stood up and looked around:
"Everyone, since we walked from Baima to Jiyin one village after another, if we still avoid others, it will inevitably look artificial. On the other hand, we are coming so down-to-earth, but there is no need to avoid anything... Now it's raining
Stop, then follow me into Jiyin City and meet the gang brothers in the city!"
After these words were spoken, many people felt relieved, but immediately felt inexplicably excited, while some people felt excited for a while, but immediately became nervous.
Even in the noisy downstairs, one can clearly hear the sudden confusion of footsteps, and then suddenly become quiet.
In the afternoon, as Zhang Xing and his party turned to Jiyin City in a mighty manner, under the sunshine after the rain, seven or eight leaders who had gathered under various excuses in the previous ten days rushed straight into Jiyin City where they were immediately rewarded.
Cangcheng, come to see Li Shu who is deep in thought and silent.
The pressure instantly came to Li Longtou.
PS: Thanks to the new leader, I will become Mr. Zhao Gao step by step! Mr. Gao will get rich in the New Year, and the other masters will also get rich!
