The refugees were a little confused when they heard this.
Everyone looked at each other in confusion.
What Kou Ji said was untenable at all, but he used the intimidation power brought by his official position to scare the refugees.
Some timid ones even took a few steps back and hid behind others, for fear that Kou Ji would catch him and ask him for an explanation.
But some people were not afraid of Kou Ji. They faced him directly and shouted: "You disguised sand as food to deceive us. Now you have been exposed on the spot. You still dare to say nonsense. The sand on the ground is evidence. Everyone can see it clearly."
The speaker spoke loudly, and the refugees could hear him clearly.
Someone took the lead in criticizing Kou Ji, and the refugees followed him one after another.
Amid the fierce condemnation of the refugees, Kou Ji took a step forward with a stern face and shouted: "Quiet!"
Liu Heng and Cao Yi held torches very cooperatively and stood on the left and right sides of Kou Ji, illuminating Kou Ji's body and making Kou Ji more intimidating.
Under Kou Ji's cold gaze, the voices of the refugees' quarrels gradually became quieter.
It wasn't Kou Ji's intimidation that scared the refugees again, but Chen Jing, Wang Tiansheng and others spoke out one after another and scolded the refugees, and the refugees gradually became quiet.
Kou Ji waited until the refugees calmed down, clasped his hands behind his back, and spoke slowly, "I ask myself, since I took over, I have never done anything wrong to you. Why do you want to target me and frame me for injustice?"
"The grassroots people and others are not targeting the Ministry of Industry and Communism. They just want to find an explanation from the Ministry of Industry and Communities."
Standing in front of the refugees was a burly man with black moustache, speaking in a loud voice.
Kou Ji's eyes fell on him, he looked him up and down, and said coldly: "Come out and speak!"
The big man with the black mustache looked like a bear, and he walked up to Kou Ji with steady steps. His eyes as big as copper bells stared at Kou Ji impartially, without any fear in his eyes.
Kou Ji looked at the steps of the big man with black moustache, and a strange color flashed in his eyes.
When the black-bearded man walks, his legs are slightly open and the insides of the legs are facing outwards, giving him a somewhat bow-legged look.
His bowed legs are very different from his natural bowed legs. They are obviously acquired.
So far, Kou Ji has only seen this kind of walking posture in one kind of person, and that is the Liao cavalry who always lie on their horses.
"Who are you?"
Kou Ji stared at the big man with black moustache and asked.
The big man with black mustache cupped his fists and said: "Peng Yue, a common man!"
Kou Ji asked again, "When do you enlist in the army, any position, and when do you remove your armor?"
The big man with black moustache looked a little sad when he heard this.
He didn't want to talk about the past, but when Kou Ji asked him, he had to answer.
The black-bearded man pondered over and over again and said in a low voice: "Enlisted in the army in the first year of Xianping and served as the fourth envoy of the right wing camp of the Jingsai Army. In the third year of Dazhong Xiangfu, he discharged his armor and returned to the field."
Hearing this answer, Kou Ji was a little surprised.
The Jingsai Army can be regarded as one of the elite soldiers of the Song Dynasty.
It was built during the reign of Emperor Taizong Zhao Guangyi.
During the reign of Emperor Taizong Zhao Guangyi, in the fourth year of Taiping and Xingguo's reign, he made a northern expedition to the Liao Kingdom and fought a fierce battle with the Liao army on the Gaoliang River. He personally went to the battlefield to supervise the battle, but was beaten by the Tielin Army led by Yelu Xiuge, the king of the South Branch of the Liao Kingdom.
Fleeing in embarrassment.
Not only did he get an arrow in the butt, but because he escaped in a donkey cart, he also gained the reputation of a donkey cart emperor.
In order to avenge his previous humiliation, restore his reputation, and defeat the Liao Kingdom's elite cavalry Tielin Army.
Taizong Zhao Guangyi used the horses obtained from the Northern Expedition to personally supervise the construction of a heavy armored cavalry force, with a total of 3,000 people, one person and five horses. The soldiers were all from Yizhou in the north of Saibei. They could shoot a hard bow of 200 kilograms and were extremely powerful.
This heavy armored cavalry is the Jingsai Army.
In the first year of Emperor Taizong's Duangong reign, the Song and Liao countries went to war in the Tang River area. The Jingsai Army acted as the vanguard and appeared on the battlefield of Song and Liao.
In the Battle of Tanghe, he defeated the Liao Kingdom's most proud Tielin Army formation in one fell swoop. He pursued the Liao Army all the way to Caohe, beheaded 5,000 people and captured tens of thousands of horses. He became famous in this battle.
The Jingsai Army was also promoted to one of the Forbidden Army of the Song Dynasty.
In the years that followed, he made successive attacks and achieved success in each case.
Until the Battle of Chanyuan.
The leader of the Jingsai Army (the commander of the military capital) was exhausted due to many expeditions, and refused to go out again. He was beheaded by the supervisors. The soldiers of the Jingsai Army were leaderless, dragging their tired bodies, and stepped onto the battlefield at the urging of the supervisors.
, was beaten half disabled by the Liao army.
Eventually it became unknown.
The big man in front of him named Peng Yue is said to have removed his armor during the reign of Dazhong Xiangfu, so the reason why he left the army must be somewhat related to the Battle of Chanyuan.
Otherwise, with his status as an envoy of the Jingsai Army, it would be impossible for him to become a civilian.
In the military system of the Song Dynasty, officials at the first level of the infantry army were called Dutou; officials at the first level of the cavalry army were called military envoys.
Dutou is at the same level as the military envoy, and he has one hundred soldiers under his command.
The identity of Peng Yue, a military envoy similar to Dutou, is not comparable to that of Wu Song, the Dutou in "Water Margin".
The chief official appointed by the county government in Wu Song could only be regarded as a big official.
Peng Yue's status as a military envoy was actually that of an officer.
There are obvious differences between one official and one official.
And according to the practice in the Song Dynasty army, any officer who serves as the envoy of the Forbidden Army will have a casual rank in front of him.
For example, the ninth-grade Pei Rong Colonel, or the ninth-grade Renyong Colonel.
Due to the special characteristics of the Jingsai Army, before Peng Yue removed his armor, the title of military envoy should be added to the title of Lieutenant Renyong of the ninth rank.
However, no matter what identity Peng Yue was before, Kou Ji doesn't care much about it now.
What he is most concerned about now is the problem of refugees causing trouble.
Kou Ji stared at Peng Yue and asked, "What kind of explanation do you want me to give you?"
Peng Yue raised his head and said in a neither humble nor arrogant tone: "This is not an explanation for the common people, but an explanation for all the victims."
"What explanation?"
Kou Ji asked coldly.
Peng Yue said in a deep voice: "Where did the food sent to us by the imperial court go? Why did you use sand and soil to pretend to be food and deceive us?"
Kou Ji sneered and said: "The grain distributed to you by the imperial court is naturally in the grain depot in Bianjing City. It will be shipped out when it is time to give it to you. I have never used any sand to pretend to be grain.
When I brought the sand here, did I tell you that it was food?"
Peng Yue clenched his fist slightly, gritted his teeth and said, "I never..."
Kou Ji asked loudly: "Tell me, when did I deceive you?"
Peng Yue raised his head, stared at Kou Ji with burning eyes, and asked: "Since they are not grains, why do you stack them with grains?"
Kou Ji glanced at Peng Yue and sneered: "The things I have prepared have their own uses. I need to explain them to you more."
Peng Yue's cheeks flushed red, he blew his beard and said with eyes wide open: "Why can't we interfere with the things the imperial court sends to us?"
When Kou Ji heard this, he stared at Peng Yue and said coldly: "What did the imperial court give you? You have served in the imperial court. You don't naively think that in addition to food, the imperial court will also help you."
Will you prepare the house, prepare the bed, and prepare the herbs?"
Peng Yue was stunned when he heard this, frowned, and stared at Kou Ji doubtfully, "Isn't it..."
Kou Ji snorted coldly and said nothing.
Liu Heng said coldly from the side: "It was my fourth brother who was afraid that you would freeze to death or die of illness, so he took the initiative to take over the task of housing you. He raised his own money, bought herbs and wood, and built a house for you."
Cao Yan sneered and added: "The imperial court will cut off your food and grass next spring. The reason why my fourth brother brought all this sand and soil here is to help you build a workshop for making a living, so that you can still make a living after next spring.
I can make a living for myself.
Not only did you not accept my fourth brother's kindness, you also kicked up the dust.
I would like to see what you will eat after next spring without my fourth brother helping you build a workshop to make a living."
Liu Heng and Cao Yi followed Kou Ji's words and mocked Peng Yue in unison.
Peng Yue's face was flushed red, and paired with the black mustache on his face, he looked like a red-faced Yaksha.
Peng Yue had held an official position in the court, and he was well aware of the court's style of doing things.
The imperial court has provided disaster relief over the years, either by giving the victims a morsel of food and allowing them to fend for themselves, or by incorporating the victims into the Xiang army and allowing them to barely eat a morsel of imperial food.
The imperial court had basically never done anything to help build houses for the victims.
This time he followed the refugee team to Bianjing City, and saw officials sent by the imperial court to help them build houses. He thought that he was under the emperor's feet, and the imperial court had a change of heart out of consideration for face.
Now when he heard what Kou Ji and the other three said, he finally understood.
It's not that the court has changed its nature, it's that they met an official who truly sympathized with them.
Peng Yue was a little ashamed and couldn't raise his head. He lowered his head, covered his face, and cupped his hands to Kou Ji: "It's the common people who have wrongly accused the Kou Ministry of Industry. The Kou Ministry of Industry wants to beat and punish them. No matter how hard they do, the common people will never have half of it."
A complaint."
After hearing Peng Yue's soft words, the look on Kou Ji's face softened a bit.
He stared at Peng Yue and said: "The reason why I have done so much is to allow you, the people who have been affected by the disaster, to survive. Saving your lives has already cost me a lot of money. How can I hurt you again?"
you."
Peng Yue held his fist and bowed deeply to Kou Ji.
Kou Ji raised his head, looked at the other refugees and said, "The medicinal materials you have consumed in the past few days are far more expensive than food. I can support you with medicine to prevent illnesses, but how can I not be able to support you with food?"
The grain given to you is piled up in the grain depot in Bianjing City.
It is now late at night, and the four gates of Bianjing City have long been locked, making it impossible to transport the wolfberry out.
Early tomorrow morning, the food will be shipped out from Bianjing City, and you will definitely not be short of a ration.
I won’t let any of you go hungry.”
Kou Ji persuaded Peng Yue, the leader, and brought out medicinal materials to explain, and the refugees reluctantly believed Kou Ji.
In addition, Chen Jing, Wang Tiansheng and others frequently helped Kou Ji speak, and the refugees were not as excited as before.
Kou Ji stared at the refugees and said, "Why don't you go back and rest quickly? Tomorrow, a large number of victims like you will arrive, and you will be needed to help them with their resettlement."
If something goes wrong in the resettlement of the victims because of your fault, don't blame me for being unkind."
"It's gone!"
Kou Ji waved his hand.
Peng Yue took the lead in bowing his hands, retreated into the group of refugees, and then walked to his tent.
Seeing this, other refugees also walked towards their tents in twos and threes.
After Kou Ji saw the refugees dispersed, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He was really afraid that the refugees would suddenly riot and make things get out of hand.
Liu Heng and Cao Yi, who were beside him, also breathed a sigh of relief.
They have the same worries as Kou Ji.
After Chen Jing, Wang Tiansheng and others appeased the refugees, they walked to Kou Ji.
Chen Jing looked at Kou Ji anxiously and asked, "Ministry of Industry, is the food given to us by the imperial court really in the grain depot in Bianjing City?"
Kou Ji stared at him and asked, "Have I lied to you?"
Chen Jing smiled dryly, "That's not true..."
Wang Tiansheng stared at Kou Ji and said seriously: "Kou Ministry of Industry, if something goes wrong with the food problem, you must inform the students and others as soon as possible so that the students and others can be prepared."
Kou Ji said calmly: "There is no problem with the food. You don't really believe those rumors, do you?"
Chen Jing and Wang Tiansheng looked at each other and shook their heads.
The reason why they came to Kou Ji was to get some accurate information from Kou Ji.
It's just that Kou Ji didn't reveal any news.
They didn't see any flaws and chose to believe Kou Ji's words.
The two of them bowed their hands to Kou Ji and returned to their respective tents.
After all the refugees were gone, Kou Ji asked the government officials to pack up the torn food bags, and he took Liu Heng and Cao Yi back to the tent.
Once inside the tent.
Kou Ji said to Liu Heng and Cao Yi: "You two are going to the South City Gate now and return to Bianjing City from the South City Gate."
Liu Heng and Cao Yi stared at Kou Ji and shook their heads.
They both knew what Kou Ji had in mind when he asked them to leave at this time.
Although Kou Ji stopped the refugees from causing trouble and deceived them, the problem was not solved at all.
When the fire starts tomorrow.
If Kou Ji cannot provide food, then the refugees will no longer believe any of Kou Ji's words.
When the time comes, they will swarm up without hesitation and tear apart all the officials at the North City Gate, letting the government officials vent their anger.
They would not care that Kou Ji had a grandfather who was a prime minister behind him, nor would they care that Kou Ji had a close relationship with the official Zhao Zhen.
Because in their eyes, no food means no life.
Since your life is about to be lost, you don't care what else to do.
The reason why Kou Ji asked Liu Heng and Cao Yi to go back to Bianjing City first was to prevent Liu Heng and Cao Yi from being beaten to death by the refugees.
Liu Heng stared at Kou Ji firmly and said, "Fourth brother, if you don't leave, I won't leave either."
Cao Yi nodded and said, "Me too."
Kou Ji sighed and said in a deep voice: "Some of the refugees believe my words, but some certainly don't. I don't know how many eyes are staring at me in the dark at this moment.
If I leave, they will rush out together to stop me.
You are different, you don’t need to take risks with me."