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Chapter 10 The magistrate of Zhongmu

When Zhongmu County Magistrate Huo Zhixing heard the notice, he hurried out.

Hou Dayong calmly entered the residence of Wuyang County Magistrate. The residence of the county magistrate was a small yard. Some flowers and plants were planted on the wall of the courtyard. Because it was dark, I couldn't see what variety it was, and it swayed in the wind, which was of a unique interest. The whole yard seemed simple and clean, beyond Hou Dayong's imagination.

Huo Zhixing was less than 30 years old and was not wearing an official uniform. He was just wearing a round-necked long gown. He was handsome and handsome. Seeing that Hou Dayong's face was wrong, he didn't ask. After saying the courtesy, he said, "The defensive envoy visited the humble house, which is really bright. Have you ever used supper and someone prepared it?"

"Zhongmu County Magistrate Huo Zhixing was a master of imperial examination. He was knowledgeable and had not been an official for a long time, and his reputation was not bad." Hou Dayong had inspected the county magistrate, county magistrate, chief clerk, county magistrate, county magistrate, and county magistrate, and basic understanding of their details. This was the evaluation of Zhongmu County Magistrate Huo Zhixing at that time. Huo Zhixing had entered Hou Dayong's sight. Who knew that he dared to deduct the life-saving food of refugees. Hou Dayong thought: "It's really not that people should behave like appearance, the sea water should not be weighed, and people should not be known to each other but not the heart."

Hou Dayong waved his hand and said, "Not to eat now, I want to ask you a few things. You go to the study with me, and I will ask you separately." After entering the study, he asked, "How to resettle refugees in Zhongmu County? How to distribute various items such as grain, seeds?"

Huo Zhixing guessed that Hou Dayong came for this matter. When he was cutting the food for refugees, he was ready to be questioned by Hou Dayong. Therefore, when he heard this question, he was not panicked and said, "I believe that the defense envoy has arrived at the refugee resettlement site. The defense envoy loves the people, and I admire him very much."

When Hou Dayong heard Huo Zhixing's words, he said, "I won't go around the corner. Why is the amount of refugee food distribution insufficient? Why are there so many wasteland along the way?"

Huo Zhixing took out a piece of paper from the bookshelf and placed it under the oil lamp. He said to Hou Dayong: "This is a topographic map drawn by Zhongmu County." Huo Zhixing pointed to the topographic map and said: "Zhongmu County is located between Zhengzhou and Daliang, facing the Yellow River in the north and across the river from Yuanyang County. The north is low-lying and watery, the middle is flat and open, and there are many sand dunes in the south."

Hou Dayong was originally a map expert. After taking the map, he saw that the map was detailed, but the production was rough, without scale or contour lines. He took out the map made by the Lion Camp and gave it to Huo Zhixing. After taking the map, Huo Zhixing didn't care. After looking at the map carefully, his eyes couldn't move away.

Hou Dayong explained the things that Huo Zhixing didn't understand. Huo Zhixing repeatedly compared the two maps, and after a long time, he said: "I opened my eyes and found that the map could be drawn like this. It's really a clever idea."

Huo Zhixing pointed to the map brought by Hou Dayong and said: "Since the Yellow River breaks and diverts many times, there are large areas of sand dunes, depressions and barren land in northern Zhongmu. The wasteland seen by the defense force is the weakest land, and the people are no longer willing to farm. Someone arranged the refugees remotely to take care of them. Although the resettlement site is far away, its land is more fertile than the land on the front line in the north.

"So that's it. No wonder there are so many wastelands. I blame you wrongly." Seeing Huo Zhixing talking freely, Hou Dayong seemed to be confident, and asked again: "What are the best solutions?"

"There are many silt and sand in the rivers in the Central Plains, which will bring certain troubles to river channel improvement and water diversion irrigation. However, using mud and water for irrigation can turn damaging into fertile fields, which is called "silt fields" in history, which is also a wonderful way to turn harm into profit. There is a river in Zhongmu County called Xicai River, which runs across the entire territory, and all the rivers of Zhongmu are injected into it. Some are preparing to wait until the water rise season next year to divert the water to silt fields. So some keep the grain for use when digging water and silting fields next year."

After hearing Huo Zhixing's explanation, Hou Dayong's face calmed down and said, "Is there a precedent for the method of silting fields?"

"The officials of the lower officials searched all the historical books. "Records of the Grand Historian" records: a hu of Jing River, several buckets of mud. The manure and irrigate, and my wheat and millet grow. The so-called manure is silt. The Tang people once dug six steep gates and sent the Bian River to silt down the lake. The people gained a lot of benefits, and these are all recorded."

"Okay, Huo Mingfu (Note: 1) has been thoroughly considered. I support you. You can first try the method of silting in Zhongmu. If the effect is good, it can be implemented in Zhengzhou. However, I think there is a problem. I heard from Mingfu that silting is generally carried out during the flood season or during the rising water period, but at this time the flow is large and the water is strong. If the river bank breaks at this time and floods are flooded, it will be out of control. Be careful."

When Shi Yanchao was appointed as the defensive commander, Huo Zhixing proposed to him many times the plan for irrigation. Shi Yanchao disagreed with this method, which made Huo Zhixing not take his own initiative. After Hou Dayong took office, Huo Zhixing simply refused to talk to Hou Dayong and was ready to do it. After success, I think Hou Dayong would not hinder him.

Huo Zhixing did not expect Hou Dayong to immediately express his support, and hurriedly stepped forward and bowed: "With the support of the defense envoy, I must do the silt and irrigation well. Don't call the defense envoy Mingfu, just call me Huolang."

"Huo Lang remediates silted fields is a good thing that benefits the present and the future. However, there are two things you are wrong with this matter. One is that if you don't report it, you will take the initiative without authorization; the other is that the refugee food is dared to deduct it without authorization. Seeing that Huo Lang was the first offense and his merits and demerits were offset, he would not punish him."

"It is better not to move the food for refugees. Now in September, when winter comes, there is no food, and people will starve to death. The silt must wait until next year. The food required for silt will be adjusted to give you a part of the labor required for silt and new silt fields. The seeds required for silt can be called in various counties, but there must be a detailed method to do everything thoroughly."

"The defense has learned the right lesson, and it is not considered to take into account all the food tomorrow."

After the business talk, Hou Dayong was so hungry that he was ranted. Huo Zhixing slapped his forehead and said, "I'm really confused. He actually let his defenses get hungry."

Zhengzhou is an ancient land of Shang Tang, with a strong and powerful land. During this period, Hou Dayong was delighted to discover two subordinates with real talents and knowledge. One was Qian Xiangnan, who had a wise murder case, and the other was Huo Zhixing who was thinking about silt. The two had different personalities, Qian Xiangnan was calm and steady. Huo Zhixing dared to think and do it. Although there were shortcomings, they were all talented.

"I'm very happy today. Let's have a drink together, can we?" Hou Dayong took the initiative to challenge.

The next day, Huo Zhixing led Hou Dayong to the tributaries of Xicai River for on-site inspection. Zhengzhou has been in farming for a long time. At that time, agricultural yields were not high. After the population increased, it was possible to produce more grain by expanding the area of ​​farmland. Along the Xicai River, the forests were not dense, and most of the trees were only thick in the wrists.

Hou Dayong arrived on the spot and listened to Huo Zhixing's explanation of the method of silting fields. The water volume of the Xicai River was not large, and finally it flowed into the Huai River. There was no pressure on the canal transport. After taking precautions, the possibility of the dam breaking was small. If Huo Zhixing's plan was followed, the number of new fertile fields was extremely considerable.

Before he knew it, the group left Zhongmu County. Hou Dayong asked Huo Zhixing to go back and took his personal guard back to Zhengzhou. Because Hou Dayong walked along the river and did not walk on the official road, when he returned to Zhengzhou, there were remote paths all the way.

As he was about to reach the official road, he suddenly heard fighting and curses coming from the front. He turned around the woods and saw thirty or forty soldiers surrounding seven or eight people. The surrounded people were holding weapons and extremely brave. They all fought with three or four people, but were not at a disadvantage. One of the men in brown clothes was the most brave. One of them was the most brave. One of them dealt with five soldiers and killed the five people to the point of being able to resist. He injured two soldiers in a row. The rest of the soldiers did not dare to come forward, but just surrounded him.

After Hou Dayong and his party appeared, the man in brown clothes greeted his companions loudly: "They have reinforcements, so don't want the goods, so rush out."

Du Gang and Chen Meng each brought ten people and surrounded them from the left and right wings. The soldiers saw reinforcements coming, all of them were cavalry, and they were greatly inspired.

Du Gang issued an order: "Take the bow and prepare."

Chen Meng shouted: "The government army retreated."

When the soldiers saw the cavalry taking out the bows and arrows, they knew that the seven or eight people could not escape. After obeying the order, they all withdrew from the battle circle.

The man in brown clothes raised his sword and shouted: "It's death if he fights, but it's death if he doesn't fight. Brothers, fight with them."

Before the man in brown clothes could finish his speech, Du Gang's bow and arrow made a "bang". The guards fired arrows at the same time, and all twenty arrows were shot out. In a blink of an eye, except for the man in brown clothes, all the others were shot to the ground.

The man in brown clothes was also shot an arrow on the leg. He seemed to have no feeling, and rushed straight to Du Gang. Du Gang pulled out his long sword and slashed hard on his head. The long sword Ling Li, with the sound of wind, slashed towards the neck of the man in brown clothes. The man in brown clothes slightly turned around and avoided the long sword. While avoiding, the man in brown clothes slashed at the horse's legs with a knife. The horse's legs were cut off and Du Gang was thrown down. Seeing this, Chen Meng lifted his horse forward and forced the man in brown clothes with a knife to cover Du Gang. The soldiers raised their bows and arrows one after another.

Seeing that the man in brown clothes was brave and doing things neatly, Hou Dayong was determined to surrender him. Seeing that the soldiers had already set their bows, he said, "Slow." Then he brought his horse to the man in brown clothes and asked, "What are you doing?"

At this time, someone had recognized Hou Dayong by the group of soldiers before. A soldier stepped forward and saluted: "Report to the defensive envoy, he was the commander of the Western Army and was ordered to lead a team to capture the private salt dealer."

When the man in brown clothes heard this, he smiled and said, "It's not in vain to die at the hands of the defensive commander. I heard that the defensive commander Hou Dayong is so heroic. When we meet today, we are just a few who defeat the more."

Hou Dayong knew that the man in brown clothes wanted to provoke him to fight alone, and said, "The method of provoking him is useless. You are now on the chopping board, so don't show your verbal benefits. You have to compete with me and wait until your injury heals. Now you won't be able to defeat you. Put down your knife and surrender, and give you a way out."

"From the day when a certain salt sells, I know that sooner or later this day will be made to surrender, and ask if the knife in his hand will agree."

Du Gang was cut off his front leg because of a war horse. He held a knife and stared at the man in brown clothes, hoping to eat him, but he didn't hear Hou Dayong's order and refused to rush forward.

Hou Dayong thought that it was the time to use people to subdue the man in brown clothes and get a powerful general. Hou Dayong practiced Tiandun for several months and reacted more quickly. He fought with He Wulang and had more wins and less losses. Now Hou Dayong is quite confident in his swordsmanship, so he said, "Okay, I accept your challenge, but in the front, if you win, I will give you a way out. If you lose, you must surrender and listen to someone's disposal."

"Okay, one word is certain."

Hou Dayong jumped off the horse, pulled out Dou Tianxinzhu's horizontal knife, and said, "It's a pity that your leg is injured, otherwise you can compete with someone."

"I may not lose to you, so I can say less nonsense."

Hou Dayong knew that only by completely defeating the man in brown clothes could he subdue such a rebellious person and stop talking.

Hou Dayong used five sword techniques and took the initiative to attack. The man in brown clothes saw Hou Dayong's exquisite moves and knew that he had met a strong enemy and concentrated on his mind to deal with it.

Having blocked Hou Dayong's first wave of attack, the man in brown clothes was preparing to counterattack. Hou Dayong's moves changed without any kind of sword technique. He used the advantages of horizontal swords. He held the knife in both hands and slashed at the head with the fastest speed, using hard to hit hard, and fast against fast. The knife was fatal. Under Hou Dayong's storm-like attack, the man in brown clothes had no chance to fight back. He tightly protected the vital points and kept retreating.

Hou Dayong was right and did not let anyone go. After slashing away the man in brown clothes with one knife, he suddenly made a big stride, holding a knife in both hands and slashed down from a forty-five-degree angle. With a "ding-dang", the man in brown clothes fell to the ground with a long sword, and Hou Dayong had already reached his neck.

(End of Chapter 10)
Chapter completed!
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