Chapter 0877 Su Xun, who is soaring so fast, gets it
"Do you know something?!"
Through Chen Lin's words, Lu Yijian heard that Chen Lin knew some information that he did not know, and immediately rushed to Chen Lin, staring at Chen Lin, preparing to question Chen Lin.
Chen Lin glanced at Lu Yijian and smiled lightly, "Mr. Lu, don't ask us, we won't say anything. If you want us to speak, you have to ask the officials for a decree."
Lu Yijian said angrily: "If I can ask for official orders, why should I ask you?"
The smile on Chen Lin's face grew wider, "Then don't ask us. The officials have issued a gag order, and we don't dare to offend."
"That's unreasonable!"
Lu Yijian gritted his teeth, but did not press Chen Lin again.
Because he knew that since Zhao Zhen had issued a gag order, Chen Lin would not say anything.
As a loyal servant around Zhao Zhen, his loyalty to Zhao Zhen far exceeds that of anyone else.
Every word Zhao Zhen said was an oracle to others, but to Chen Lin, it was fate.
He may risk his life, but he will never go against Zhao Zhen's words.
Seeing that Lu Yijian stopped asking questions, Chen Lin slightly bowed her hand to Lu Yijian, walked out of Donghua Gate, and rushed all the way to Dutingyi.
There are fine horses in Duting Station, which is where people on official business must go before leaving Bianjing.
In the homes of high-ranking officials, there is naturally no shortage of one or two good horses.
So you don’t need to go to Dutingyi when leaving Bianjing City.
But Chen Lin had to go.
Because Zhao Zhen did not give him a horse, he had to follow the rules of the court.
It's ridiculous to say that the only people in the government and the public who can abide by all the rules set by the court are a group of maids and eunuchs.
Everyone else took pleasure in provoking the rules of the court.
Some people in high positions even like to be outlaws.
Among them, civil servants are the ones who like to challenge rules the most.
They are obviously a group of people who behave themselves and behave themselves in court.
After coming to court, everyone likes to challenge the rules.
Once you break the rules, you will always find countless reasons and excuses to treat your violation of the rules as an elegant matter.
After the court gives up pursuing the case or changes the rules, they will feel complacent.
They will feel that they have defeated the court by virtue of their intelligence, saved themselves, and forced the court to change its rules.
After Taizu established the rules, few people dared to break them.
Occasionally one or two important ministers break the rules, and he will release some goodwill appropriately.
The original intention is to let the courtiers feel his kindness and kindness.
It's just that after Taizong succeeded to the throne, he released too much goodwill.
After Zhenzong succeeded to the throne, he simply regarded goodwill as a routine.
Over time, officials no longer regard breaking rules as a favor.
Among the many rules that have been trampled upon, the curfew has been the most trampled upon.
When Taizu was in power, the curfew was very strict, and breaking the curfew risked beheading.
When Taizong was in power, when high officials in the court, especially civil servants, violated the ban, they only gave verbal reprimands, while ordinary people who violated the ban would be slapped with a stick.
When Shinzong was in power, the curfew was in vain.
After Zhao Zhen succeeded to the throne, he couldn't help it.
The rules were completely trampled and it was difficult to maintain.
It can only be banned in the end.
In addition, there are rules for escorting prostitutes.
When Taizu was in power, officials were not allowed to escort prostitutes while on duty.
During the reign of Emperor Taizong, this rule was slightly relaxed.
When Zhenzong was on the throne, officials dared to bring concubines into the palace, and even asked Zhenzong for women. Escorting prostitutes was like a common and boring pastime, and could be seen everywhere. Some officials also liked to hold open meetings.
The official who asked Zhenzong for a woman was Kou Ji's grandfather Kou Zhun.
Mr. Kou is upright and upright, but that is a political matter.
When it comes to women, Mr. Kou doesn't have much self-control.
If it had not been for the help of Emperor Zhenzong's elixir, I am afraid that Mr. Kou would have been filled with children and grandchildren, and Kou Ji would not have had the chance to inherit the Kou family business.
All in all, there are many people who break the rules in Bianjing City, but there are very few people who obey them.
Kou Ji also wanted to be a rule-abiding person, but conditions did not allow for it.
Kou Ji wants to be a person who treats prisoners well.
But when he arrived at Tanshan, he found that the granary he had high hopes for was on fire, and more than three thousand prisoners were pushed to the execution ground.
"cut!"
Kou Ji gave an order and three thousand heads were chopped off.
Kou Ji stared at the blood spraying all over the ground, with no expression on his face.
He came back to his senses, looked at the soldiers kneeling behind him, and said in a cold voice: "A thousand iron armors were unable to stop three thousand prisoners. Not only were they able to break through the barrier, they were also set on fire and deprived of food and grass.
If you can wear iron armor, it means that you are veterans who have been fighting for many years.
As a veteran, you should know the importance of food and grass to an army.
As a veteran, you should also know what kind of sins the soldiers guarding the food and grass should bear if they lose the food and grass."
"It's the fault of a low-ranking person. Please, Privy Councilor Kou, let this humble subordinate go."
The captain kneeling in front of Kou Ji gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice.
"Shut up!"
Kou Ji drank and said coldly: "I can't lead troops, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid! One thousand iron armors can fight against ten thousand soldiers and horses, and it can be said that it can fight against three thousand unarmed prisoners.
easy.
Now that you have a thousand armors and cannot stop three thousand unarmed prisoners, it shows that this matter is not just a fault.
You have the guts to make mistakes, but don’t you have the guts to admit them?"
The soldiers lowered their heads and no one said a word.
Kou Ji smiled, but there was anger in his smile, "Do you think that the law does not punish the public? Or do you think that I, Kou Ji, dare not ruthlessly kill one of my own people?
Let me tell you now, not only do I dare to kill you, I also dare to implicate your family members!"
When the soldiers heard this, they all raised their heads with astonishment on their faces.
Kou Ji yelled loudly, "Stop playing your clever tricks in front of me. If no one tells me the truth within three breaths, I will let you know what military law is ruthless!"
"one!"
"..."
"Drinking!"
"The villain is drinking with others!"
"..."
One of the soldiers shouted.
The soldiers gritted their teeth and lowered their heads.
Drinking is not allowed in the military, but the requirements are quite strict.
For example, during the execution of military orders, you are absolutely not allowed to drink even a drop of alcohol.
But even so, some people in the military still violated the ban.
Take drinking as an example. The ones who commit the most crimes are the generals in the army.
So it often happens that people drink and get into trouble.
It can be as small as forgetting to practice, or as big as losing a battle.
Therefore, the commander-in-chief of the army usually catches a few drunkards and kills them before issuing military orders.
After Kou Ji became the Privy Councilor, he clearly wrote this rule into the military regulations.
The generals in the army still violated the law, but almost none of them drank during the war, and no longer delayed the military due to drinking.
This is the first time for me to drink on such a large scale and make a big mistake.
"Who told you that you can drink alcohol in the military, and who told you that you can drink alcohol while performing military duties?!"
"Do you think that since we have defeated the enemy fifty miles away, you can rest easy?"
"Who are the military regulations for?"
Kou Ji asked three times in succession, leaving the soldiers speechless.
Kou Ji returned and ordered his subordinates behind him, "Go and ask the nobles who are guarding the prisoners. Ask them if they would like me to send someone to carry them over in an eight-carriage sedan chair."
The official immediately agreed and quickly followed Kou Ji's order.
Not long after, a group of soldiers, led by a personal officer, arrived at Kou Ji's side.
Without waiting for them to salute, Kou Ji ordered his subordinates: "Pull them down and chop them all."
"Privy Councilor, the loss of the granary has nothing to do with the humble officials and others."
The soldiers who had just arrived shouted in horror.
Kou Ji sneered and said, "The fact that the prisoner escaped under your noses has nothing to do with you, right?"
The leading soldier swallowed his saliva and said stammeringly: "The Privy Council envoys, the prisoners of humble rank and others are all here. There are not many of them. If you don't believe me, you can send someone to check."
Kou Ji sarcastically said: "The prisoners who attacked the granary and burned the grain and grass appeared out of thin air?"
"Then... people in humble positions don't know."
"..."
"Oh……"
Kou Ji snorted and stopped paying attention to them. Instead, he asked the official: "What are you waiting for? Does my order not work?"
The officer was stunned and quickly ordered his subordinates: "Take them all down."
When the soldiers guarding the prisoners saw Koji's men surrounding them, they shouted in horror.
"Privy Councilor! There is nothing wrong with the humble ministers and others. Why do you want to kill the humble ministers and others? The humble ministers and others are not convinced!"
Kou Ji's eyes fell on them again and said coldly: "You are smart, but you are too smart. Do you think that by borrowing 3,000 prisoners from elsewhere and filling them into the prisoner camp, I won't know about your dereliction of duty?"
As soon as these words came out, the expressions of the soldiers guarding the prisoners changed, and they all looked at the leading soldier.
The leading soldier gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: "I don't know what you are talking about."
Kou Ji narrowed his eyes slightly, "You really can't shed tears until you see the coffin. Do you need me to pull out all the prisoners and count them one by one?"
The leading soldier slowly lowered his head and said firmly: "I have no regrets despite my humble duty."
Kou Ji smiled, "You are really stupid. You are still carrying it to this point. Do you think Gao Chugong and Zhu Neng captured so many prisoners this time that they didn't even count them clearly? I
How is it possible to know exactly how many people there are, right?"
Kou Ji's face turned cold, "Go to the prisoner camp and bring your people out."
Kou Ji didn't refer to anyone.
But after he finished speaking, a frail middle-aged man walked out from behind him, bowed his hand to Kou Ji, and rushed to the prisoner camp.
The leading soldier's legs began to tremble slightly and his shoulders began to shake, but he gritted his teeth and did not let go.
When the middle-aged man behind Kou Ji took four people from the prisoner camp and appeared in front of Kou Ji.
"Plop..."
"Plop..."
The soldiers guarding the prison camp fell to the ground one by one.
Some people even shouted: "Privy Master Kou, spare your life, I realize my mistake!"
Then, the leading soldier still gritted his teeth.
Koji ignored him and didn't even let Wude's spies tell them what these people had done.
Kou Ji just said coldly to the soldiers who were begging for mercy: "Remember, the reason why you died is because your captain is a fool!"
As soon as these words came out.
The soldiers guarding the prison camp all looked at the leading soldier.
The leading soldier remained silent.
He knew he was dead, so begging for mercy was useless.
He didn't want to beg for mercy or surrender.
Because he doesn't want people to think he is weak.
"Pull it down and chop it!"
Kou Ji gave a cold command.
When the subordinate officers and men raised up the soldiers guarding the prison camp, they finally collapsed.
They pointed at the leading soldiers and shouted curses.
The leading soldier gritted his teeth, raised his head suddenly, and pointed at the soldiers who were kneeling on the ground guarding the food and grass, "We failed in our duty because they gave us wine.
We have to die, and they have to die too."
Kou Ji snorted coldly, "They can survive because they know how to take the initiative to admit their mistakes."
The leading soldier finally couldn't hold it any longer. He stared at Ko Ji and roared: "They gave us the wine, and they were the ones who made us make mistakes. Why do we have to die but they can live?!"
Why?!"
Kou Ji sneered and said: "Do you really think I will kill you for one warehouse of grain? Keep you, you can help me grab ten warehouses, kill you, I will get nothing."
I am a person who rarely kills my own people.
As long as you recognize your mistakes and can correct them, I will give you a chance to live.
But they admitted their mistake. When I arrived, they immediately appeared in front of me and admitted their mistake.
And you?
You first sent people to borrow 100 prisoners from your colleagues, and collected 3,000 to make up for the shortcomings in your prisoner camp.
Then just pretend nothing happened.
If someone hadn't reported your actions to me in advance, let me know the inside story, and dug you out, I'm afraid you wouldn't have admitted anything.
I can't tolerate people like you.
I won’t keep it under my hands.”
"Pull it out and chop it!"
Kou Ji ordered again.
The officer dragged the man away from Kou Ji, and the man shouted hysterically, "It's obviously their fault from beginning to end, why don't they have to die?! Why don't they have to die?!"
Kou Ji ignored him.
After the soldiers guarding the prison camp were dragged to the guillotine, it didn't take long for screams and desperate roars to be heard.
Kou Ji acted as if he hadn't heard anything. He stared at the soldiers kneeling on the ground and said coldly: "You also heard what I just said, but don't be too happy too early.
Sometimes it's more comfortable to die than to live.
The food you keep is enough for 50,000 people for three days.
I want you to go to the battlefield and take three days' worth of food for 50,000 people.
And we must chop off an equal number of your heads, as well as the same number of heads of the soldiers guarding the prison camps."
The soldiers kneeling on the ground all lowered their heads and responded with a heavy voice.
"You only have half a month...and..."
Kou Ji looked at all the soldiers and said loudly: "I, the soldiers of the Song Dynasty, can only die standing and will never live on their knees. If I find someone kneeling at all times in the future, I will break his legs and demote him."
For the sin of the people, let him kneel for the rest of his life."
As soon as these words were spoken, the soldiers who were kneeling on the ground all stood up and answered again.
Kou Ji ordered the Wudesi spies behind him, "Take them to chase Zhu Neng's team and let Zhu Neng supervise them to kill the enemy."
The people from Wude Division agreed.
Kou Ji no longer paid attention to them, but took his own people and walked through blood and water to the largest mansion in Tanshan City.
After arriving at the mansion, I took a short rest.
Kou Ji took a pen and paper, wrote a prohibition order, and ordered it to be quickly sent to all the armies.
Not long after Kou Ji issued the ban on alcohol, a young man hurried into the main hall holding a volume of documents.
"Sir, I have already counted the grain, cattle and sheep in Tanshan City, and the quantity is not as large as you imagined."
After the young man entered the main hall, he quickly reported to Kou Ji.
Kou Ji asked in a deep voice: "The number of prisoners we brought out this time was 2.7 million. Excluding those assigned to Jingnan Road and Northwest Road, there are still about 800,000 left.
How long can Tanshan City have enough food to feed 800,000 people?"
"Eat something thin every day and it will last for more than half a month."
The young man replied.
Kou Ji pondered for a moment and asked, "Is there any way you can help them get more food?"
The young man said decisively: "No!"
Kou Ji was stunned and said in surprise: "Are you still the Su Xun I know?"
Su Xun rolled his eyes and said: "That's 800,000 people, not eight people. Tens of thousands of grains are consumed every day. It's late autumn now, and it's extremely cold here, so there's no way to farm.
If you want to keep them, you need to keep them at least until next summer's harvest.
The amount of food consumed is a huge amount.
Students don’t have that ability.”
Kou Ji asked: "What if I force it on you?"
Su Xun said helplessly: "Then the student has no choice but to resign. Anyway, I don't look like an official now. The place under my rule is probably in chaos. When the court calls for accountability, I will definitely not be able to escape.
It’s better to resign as soon as possible.”
Kou Ji glanced at Su Xun, "I'm just a Confucian governor, how can he make money by staying with me?"
Su Xun said angrily: "Ruzhou now has 68,432 citizens and 230,500 prisoners. The students used the people to control the prisoners, which saved a lot of trouble.
As long as the students follow what Han Qi and others did in Hexi, help the people farm and make a fortune.
As long as those prisoners don't cause trouble, I will definitely be able to get enough credit and be promoted once my term is over.
You dragged the students out of Ruzhou without giving them an identity, so you just let them hang around with you.
If a student can't do anything well, and loses the Confucian Prefecture and the Prefecture, then the student will suffer a big loss."
Su Xun used to be a stubborn donkey, and he showed his sharp edge.
After spending a lot of time with Han Qi and others, and going through the hard work of official circles, I have lost some of my sharp edges.
It's just that some things in my bones are still hard to erase.
Such as his character.
When others saw Kou Ji, they were all respectful.
Only he dared to speak so carelessly in front of Kou Ji.
Kou Ji glanced at Su Xun and said, "Since I dare to drag you out of Ruzhou, I can naturally guarantee your career."
Su Xun heard this and said with a smile: "What grade of official do you plan to find for the student? Is it too young to be sorry for your status?"
Kou Ji smiled and said: "A prefect, do you deserve my status?"
"Prefect?!"
Su Xun was surprised, "What kind of virtue is this student? Can he be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the prefect?"
After the Lu reform of the government system was implemented in the Song Dynasty, the grades of the prefects were from the third grade to the fourth grade.
Whether it is the third grade or the fourth grade depends mainly on seniority and the size and prosperity of the mansion under its rule.
Su Xun is now just a magistrate.
Even though the prefect and prefect are superior and subordinate, one would think that there is no gap between them.
In fact, the gap between the prefect and the prefect is very large.
Zhizhou is ranked from the fifth level to the sixth level.
It depends on the size of the state under its jurisdiction, the number of citizens, and the degree of affiliation.
Su Xun, the Confucian magistrate of the state, was only the youngest among them, from the sixth rank.
Kou Ji wanted to promote Su Xun to the prefect level at once, and the span in between was not that big.
No wonder Su Xun wasn't surprised.
Seeing Su Xun's shocked face, Kou Ji asked with a smile: "What? Don't you dare?"
Su Xun said, dumbfounded: "The student is only nineteen years old, and he is serving as the prefect of a prefecture. The student is afraid of being impeached to death by the civil and military officials in the court.
Sir, you will also be scolded."
Kou Ji said with a smile: "Now that the land of Liao is in dire straits, I have made an exception to promote you to the position of prefect. Even if the people in the court find out, they won't say anything.
So you can rest assured that no one will impeach you."
Su Xun licked the corner of his mouth, feeling a little moved, but still shook his head, "Students with limited talent and limited learning are unable to hold a big responsibility."
Liaodi is not a good place now.
If Kou Ji dares to promote him out of the ordinary, it means that he will hand over the heavy responsibility to him.
He has limited qualifications and cannot take on big responsibilities.
Kou Ji didn't seem to hear Su Xun's words, and said to himself: "I will petition the court later to change the Jingdong Road of Liao State to Bohai Prefecture.
You will temporarily go to Bohai Prefecture and serve as the prefect for two terms.
After serving as prefect for two terms, you will have all the qualifications and everything, and you will be worthy of the position of fourth rank.
When the time comes, no one will say anything if you are transferred."
When Su Xun heard this, his face changed and he said miserably: "Sir, aren't you acting recklessly?"
Kou Ji continued: "There are about 700,000 prisoners assigned to Bohai Mansion. After you go to Bohai Mansion, your first task is to feed those 700,000 people."
Su Xun's expression became even more bitter, "Sir, you'd better kill me."
Kou Ji glanced at Su Xun and said: "Bohai Mansion is close to the sea. As long as you use your brains and get some seafood from the sea, it will not be a problem to raise those captives for a lifetime.
In addition, after I sent the local soldiers to their original places, there was still a lot of food left, and I can distribute some of it to you when the time comes.
Make sure the people in your Bohai Mansion have food to eat throughout the winter.
Di Qing captured the grain during the battle in Bohai Mansion, and he can share some of it with you.
The horses can all be yours.
Are you relieved now?"
Su Xun hesitated and said: "I...can I not go?"
Kou Ji said decisively: "No!"
Su Xun's face darkened, and he looked like he was about to go to the killing ground, "Can I make a condition?"
Kou Ji pondered for a moment, "If it's not too much, I can consider it."
Su Xun hurriedly asked: "Can you send Bao Zheng to me as your deputy?"
"Bao Zheng?!"
Kou Ji was stunned and asked: "Is he past the period of filial piety?"
Su Xun replied: "There is still half a month."
Kou Ji nodded and said, "I will send someone to Luzhou to summon him."
Su Xun let out a long breath and said, "With Bao Zheng's help, it's not too bad."