The stone village is not small, with a square of 300 steps equivalent to a small city. However, except for the village hall and the building where Feng's relatives live in the north, which are more sophisticated, the other houses where the slaves of the Fanbing village live are in dilapidated condition.
It rained heavily in the mountains, and a large area of the village was muddy. Under the guidance of Feng Jin, Han Qian and the others walked on the stone road to the village hall.
The village hall is a typical local stilt-style building. Dozens of thick wooden pillars are driven deep into the ground. Wooden boards are laid at half the height as a foundation to form a triple wooden building on top. The part under the wooden board base is left empty.
, tethered to raise cattle, horses and other livestock, and hundreds of village soldiers lived in it, waiting for summons.
Han Qian asked Zhao Wuji, Tian Cheng, Gao Shao and others to stay outside. He went up the stairs and walked into the hall that was three or four feet deep. He saw Ji Kun, who had met again, accompanying seven or eight people in official uniforms.
People were sitting in the hall, looking over with sinister eyes.
"Master Han is so brave." Ji Kun stared at him eagerly.
"What kind of courage is there? Mr. Ji is really joking. I just came to Xuzhou with my father and traveled around." Han Qian stood in front of the hall, looked around and said with a smile, "Is it possible that Mr. Ji is really joking?"
Do you think Master Feng's Jingyun Village is some kind of flesh-eating dragon's pool and tiger's den that Han Qian can't enter? However, Master Ji is the commander of the Shouzhou Room of the Staff Division. He is not keeping an eye on Liang Jun's movements in Shouzhou, but goes to Xuzhou
Come, is it possible that the military department intends to expand its territory in the southwest?"
Ji Kun's eyes were gloomy. He had calculated everything, but he failed to predict that Han Qian would have the courage to walk into Jingyun Village. This made all his extremely sophisticated calculations come to nothing.
And even if Han Qian was naked and unabashedly sowing discord, it would be difficult for him to refute.
Civil and military officers and assistants all have their duties. As the commander of the Shouzhou branch of the staff, he was responsible for spying on the enemy's situation on the front line in Shouzhou. He went to Xuzhou in the southwest corner without reporting it to the Privy Council, which was to leave his post without permission.
If someone with the surname Qiang doesn't understand why, it's normal to feel worried.
"Master Ji's appearance here is not because the military has any actions in the southwest. Sirs, please don't worry. I just made a little joke on Master Ji."
Han Qian saw a slave move up a chair and sat down directly. Without asking the names of the many people present, he took a cup of hot tea, sipped the hot and slightly bitter tea, and said,
"Perhaps Master Ji has told you adults about his identity and the purpose of appearing in Xuzhou. Han Qian will also make a guess. Let's see if Han Qian's guess is correct. The third prince is young and intelligent, and is favored by the emperor. Although
He was only granted the title of Marquis of Linjiang, but he was granted the title of General Longque two years ago. He actually led an elite army in Jinling, which made An Ning Palace and the prince worry about the emperor intending to dethrone him. My father was also recommended by the third prince.
, I was able to serve as an official in Xuzhou, so I became a thorn in the eyes of Anning Palace and the prince. I wanted to get rid of him quickly. I followed my father and son all the way westward, and traveled 2560 miles by water to Xuzhou. This Lord Ji did not
He didn't do much, but my father had uncovered many of the conspiracies. He had no choice but to scaremonger and instigate you all to embarrass my father, making it difficult for my father to gain a foothold in Syria. If my predictions are correct, Master Ji would probably also agree.
I sincerely promise you all that even if the sky is broken, everything will be taken care of by Anning Palace, but the question is, if Anning Palace can really hold up the hole, why should we worry about the emperor intending to dethrone him? "
Having said this, Han Qian raised his hands to Ji Kun and asked, "I also want to ask Mr. Ji in person about this question!"
"You and your son came with the sinister intention of exploiting the local area. Before they arrived in Qianyang, they wanted to make a fuss about Wang Yu's death and slander the local area so that you and your son can eat into the local profits. Even if Xuzhou is to be destroyed today,
It’s broken, but I didn’t instigate you to break it!” Ji Kun said pitifully.
"What Mr. Ji said is true. The third prince was awarded the title of General Longque, and actually commanded more than 7,000 elite soldiers. However, the imperial court only allocated less than 100,000 acres of grain fields to house the military personnel, and the additional military resources paid each year were only
It is indeed difficult to raise such an elite force with 20 million yuan, so my father went to serve in Xuzhou. The third prince constipated and asked my father to raise 5 million yuan every year to pay for the army. My father went all the way westward and was also worried about this matter.
I have been having a headache for several days since I started talking to you adults. Now that Mr. Ji has made it clear to us, there really is nothing to hide now." Han Qian said, cupping his hands to Feng Changyu, Yang Zaili and others.
Ji Kun was slightly startled. Han Qian made it clear in no uncertain terms that his father came to serve in Xuzhou just to seize the place. What else could he say or provoke?
"I haven't asked you for your names yet, Han Qian is really rude." At this time, Han Qian asked the names of all the sullen middle-aged and elderly people present one by one.
"Old old Yang Zaili..."
"I, the official Xi Zhen..."
"My officer, Feng Changyu..."
"Old man Xiang Jianlong..."
Everyone also announced their names to Han Qian in a dignified manner.
Han Qian bowed to everyone one by one, and then asked Ji Kun, "I have confessed so much, Master Ji, do you think I have anything to hide? As the prisoners in the state prison were making noises, my father would definitely take action to suppress them. Zhang Xiaochuan
, Liu Bin and other adults unfortunately died in the line of duty. My father will also report to the court and ask for compensation for them. He will never let some people with ulterior motives use this matter to sow trouble and sow discord between the court and the local government. Mr. Ji will never think that I am
The father and son came here to kill Xuzhou until rivers of blood flowed and corpses were strewn across the fields, and ultimately the situation in Xuzhou was corrupted, so we can’t just deal with it right away?”
"..." Seeing Han Qian confidently saying that he would kill people and silence them, Ji Kun felt really bitter in his heart.
And since Han Qian dared to enter Jingyun Village alone, he knew that the initiative was no longer in his hands. He really had no way to refute Han Qian's words.
Even if Feng Xixiang and Yang Si could not be convinced by strong arguments, what else could he say?
Ji Kun suddenly realized at this time that he was acting too hastily.
If there was no prison robbery, if the four surnames were not forced into direct confrontation, Han Daoxun proposed to collect an additional five million yuan from Xuzhou every year. The four surnames, who are already strong and active in the local area, would definitely refuse. They would
Time is hiding behind the scenes, muddying the waters step by step, which will eventually make it difficult for Han Daoxun to gain a foothold in Syria. However, in the current situation, the choices faced by the four surnames have become extremely limited.
They could either detain Han Qian and continue the stalemate with Han Daoxun; or they could kill Han Qian directly and raise the flag of rebellion; or they could accept the conditions proposed by Han Qian on behalf of his father and sit back and watch Han Daoxun collect an additional five million from Xuzhou every year.
money, and then Xuzhou returned to its previous calm...
As for Han Qian's banquet at Guanyue Tower last night, it was widely spread that he was plundering a large number of guests. Even if they didn't send extra eyes to keep an eye on it, they knew what happened in Guanyue Tower yesterday, which also showed that Han Daoxun was plundering the place.
, will not only raise the sword towards the big native surnames, which will undoubtedly further reduce the vigilance of the four surnames.
"Master Ji, should you stay away for a while and not hinder me from talking to you adults?" Han Qian asked, staring at Ji Kun.
Seeing that Han Qian was about to drive him away, Ji Kun sat there with a stiff face.
"Master Ji is a distinguished guest invited by us and an important minister of the imperial court. If Master Han has anything to say, there is no need to hide it from Master Ji," Feng Changyu, who was sitting in the host seat, said slowly but did not want to rush Ji Kun away.
, "We understand the intentions of the governor and Mr. Han in serving the third prince, but Xuzhou is really a poor place, and the people are really impoverished. If we want to raise an additional five million yuan every year, based on the 12,000 households in Xuzhou,
If we actually ask each household to collect an additional one stone of land tax every year, I'm afraid it will trigger a civil uprising!"
Hearing what Feng Changyu said, Ji Kun felt even worse. These old guys still left him sitting and talking in the hall, but they just used him as a bargaining chip with the Han family and his son.
"Master Feng, I'm just here for sightseeing. I can't figure out how to raise money and food. If Master Feng doesn't think it's a burden for me to stay in Jingyun for sightseeing, please tell me about the specific matters."
My father discussed it." Han Qian said.
Feng Changyu, Yang Zaili, Xi Zhen, and Xiang Jianlong looked over and asked for their opinions.
Han Qian is willing to stay here as a hostage until the two sides finally negotiate terms. What can the other three say? Do the four surnames who control less than 5,000 households really want to raise a flag to rebel?
Taking a step back, even if the conditions promised by Ji Kun are true, once a stalemate occurs in Xuzhou, Anning Palace can arrange for the imperial censor to impeach Han Daoxun and try to send ministers from their line to replace Han Daoxun to serve in Xuzhou and appease the four surnames.
Before the ministers from Anning Palace entered Xuzhou, who could guarantee that Han Daoxun would not use his troops aggressively and take the initiative to start a war?
And with the war in Xuzhou, how much hope can they place on Anning Palace and the prince?
Just like what Han Qian said just now, if Anning Palace and the Prince's line can really hold up the sky, why should they worry about Emperor Tianyou dethroning him? And they have this level of worry, and even spare no effort to prevent Han Daoxun from becoming an official in Xuzhou and obstructing Han Daoxun.
Another hidden meaning of establishing a foothold in Xuzhou is that Han Daoxun went to Xuzhou to serve as an official in Xuzhou, and even Han Daoxun went to Xuzhou to raise military resources for the Longque Army, with the tacit approval of Emperor Tianyou?
"Master Han is tired from the journey. If you are really interested in Jingyun's landscape, you might as well rest in the side hall first. Once you have enough energy, I will ask Feng Jin to accompany Master Han for a walk in the mountains tomorrow." Feng Changyu motioned to Feng Jin to take him first.
Han Qian left the village hall.
Han Qian stood up and bowed his hands to everyone, and glanced at Ji Kun proudly before taking Zhao Ting'er and following Feng Jin out of the village hall.
"Please Sir Ji, please go to the west side hall to rest temporarily." Feng Changyu also said at this time, cupping his hands towards Ji Kun.
After a while, Feng Jin left and returned. Feng Changyu still asked uneasily: "Have the manpower been properly arranged to separate the two sides?"
Feng Changyu's worry was not unreasonable. He was afraid that either Han Qian or Ji Kun would take action, resulting in the death of either Han Qian or Ji Kun in Jingyun Village, which would force them to have no choice.
"Save this for me, kid," Feng Jin nodded to show that he had arranged enough manpower to keep an eye on both sides, and then asked, "Dad, is it really necessary to send someone to see Han Daoxun?"
"Master Xi, Master Yang, Master Xiang, what do you mean?" Feng Changyu did not answer Feng Jin's question and turned to ask Xi Zhen, Yang Zaili and Xiang Jianlong for their opinions.
"If we bow our heads this time, we may only be able to gain temporary peace, right?" Yang Zaili said worriedly.
"Han Daoxun is so greedy when he first entered Xuzhou. How can we ensure that he will make further progress in the future?" Feng Jin argued, unwilling to bow his head casually.
"Even if we can get temporary peace, we still need to take expedient measures," Feng Changyu said. "Han Daoxun killed more than a hundred people just one day after arriving in Xuzhou, and then sent his son as a hostage. This all shows that he
We are determined to conquer, and we are far from ready. We are not able to match the surnames of Chen, Shao, Heng, and Jingzhou. With just the four of us, our arms cannot twist our thighs!"
