Chapter 92: Salt, by the way, it’s salt!

There was not much to say about the days that followed. Tang Cheng continued to live in the busy life of three points and one line at the county school and county government office. He occasionally went to the old monk Chengning of Tianfu Temple to learn painting skills when he had free time.

The lecture on the Book of Songs in the county school has been completed, and now he has entered the study of the Book of Shu. The text of this book of Shu was terrifying and only gave a group of Mingjing students a headache. When the time for the teacher to check the chanting, everyone was grinning and bitter. Tang Cheng was not much stronger, but he was better at working hard and his mind was tenacious. Therefore, he was much faster than those of his classmates who were fifteen or sixteen years old in progress. So after every time he checked the chanting, the teacher was forced to praise him as a typical example. After spending the adaptation period of the county school, Tang Cheng became a top student in the Mingjing department.

Because of the marriage of his son, the Tang and Zhang couple went to Liu Lizheng after returning to the village that day. As Tang Cheng thought, Liu Sanneng was surprised and his attitude towards the Tang family changed quietly. Tang Shuan's name was removed from the list of corvee recruitment, and he also regained the habit of sitting at "Brother Tang"'s house from time to time. Everything was the same as in the past six months. It seemed that the alienation had never happened before.

As for calligraphy practice, Tang Cheng still insisted on the 200-character Mo Jing task assigned by the old monk Chengning every night, but his speed was slowly accelerating. When the Mo Jing reached the final stage, the time for completing the task every day was reduced by at least half compared to the initial stage.

When Tang Cheng finally returned the entire hand-written Diamond Sutra, Chengning told him lightly that Zhongshu's "eight-point regular script" had almost used almost his skills in "like shape". As for the more difficult and more divine "like" that could achieve that step, he relied on not only diligence, but also insight. Then the old monk threw him a book that also wrote the beginning of the Lotus Sutra, but this time the number of words per day decreased from 200 to 100.

After more than a year, Tang Cheng finally overcomes the obstacles to writing brushes. Although his brush calligraphy is not very good, it is not worse than his classmates. Although it is too regular to write, if the rules and regulations are strict in the composition structure are better than those of the younger classmates. As for when the craftsmanship in the characters can be removed, it depends on his progress in "similarity".

Because the self-study of the Four Books has been completed. In addition, the time for practicing calligraphy has been shortened a lot, so he has been able to free up more time and focus on painting skills. Just like what Liu Suifeng did outside the Wanfu Temple that day, Tang Cheng adjusted the time and found Liu Suifeng in the Jinshi school building and informed him of the changes in his time arrangement. From now on, his time to practice painting will be at least twice as high as one and a half hours in later generations.

You are so proud, I have it too! Tang Cheng returned to the Mingjing Academy and was about to enter the classroom and looked back. Liu Suifeng, wearing white clothes, was just like he was in front of Wanfu Temple that day, and was also quietly looking at his back.

Somehow, at this moment, when Tang Cheng saw the snow-white clothes again, his heart faintly felt a little warmth.

During this period, many aspects of Tang Cheng's life have changed a little compared to before. If there is no change, the county government office has been held. Since the magistrate Zhang and Zhao Laohu and Lin Xuezheng that day, the county chief inspector Zhang Ziwen took two tutors to Erlongzhai early the next morning.

With the ten hard-tied bows and five powerful crossbows that had been sealed in the official warehouse for a long time, the eighteen tolerances led by Zhang Ziwen locked the bandits on the mountain, making it difficult for them to go down the mountain to commit crimes, but that's all they could do. The special terrain made it impossible for the tolerances who were at an absolute disadvantage to attack the mountain village.

In the county government, Tang Cheng could meet Zhang Xiangwen every day. From him, he learned that the methods of exploring other ways have not made any progress. Pingtou Peak, where Erlong Village is located, is a good place for bandits to open mountains and set up counters. There is no way to go on three cliffs. No matter how Zhang Ziwen led people to visit the elderly people in nearby villages, he did not find a small path in hope or a cave that could lead to the top of the peak. Instead, he confirmed the current situation where Erlong Peak could only be accessed.

It was in this situation that after the four-time hoe in the countryside, Zhao Laohu applied for it, and County Magistrate Zhang immediately issued a resignation notice. Among dozens of villages around Erlong Peak, the middle-aged man over 25 years old and under 45 years old, were summoned, and hundreds of people gathered in Erlong Village.

On the day the recruitment order was issued, Zhao Laohu went to Erlongzhai with the recruitment notice. With the help of more than ten veterans of the town army, he personally presided over the simple training of recruitment and strong men.

Half a month later, the first strong attack and encirclement of Zhao Laohu was officially launched under the leadership of Zhao Laohu. The initial was smooth, but when the team arrived at the scissors, the bandit suppression brigade had to stop. This ghost place really couldn't leave. Except for the Yangyan Mountain Road in the middle that only three people could only walk in parallel at most, both sides were covered with sharp and sharp stones. When people arrived here, they couldn't even stand firmly.

Although the bandit suppression brigade had hard burial bows and powerful crossbows to help with the battle, the arrows were not as convenient as the bandits rolled down the big rocks along the mountain. These bandits who had no combat power had never exposed their heads at all. They hid in the stone formation above and smashed the stones from a high point.

The first strong attack and suppression of bandits ended in such an embarrassing situation. Not only did they fail to attack the mountain in this battle, but they were unable to kill or injured one of the bandits. Instead, dozens of people were injured by sudden rocks in the bandits' suppression team. Fortunately, no one died, which was a great blessing in disgrace.

After a day of rest, he went up the mountain again on the third day. This time, Zhao Laohu was really cruel. The fifty-two-year-old man rushed to the front with his bright waist knife. He dodged the rolling stone and finally got into the scissors. However, he was forced to step by step by a hoe and a long shovel that suddenly stretched out from the stones on both sides. There was a blockage on the left and right, and there were rolling stones under his feet. At this time, Zhao Laohu couldn't stand it no matter how fierce he was. He ate the rolling stone on his left leg and barely retreated.

The second strong attack and suppression of bandits still failed to rush through the scissors. The one who was stronger than the first time was that he followed Zhao Laohu to rush in and seized the opportunity to kill and injured five bandits. But the price was that almost all the people who rushed in were injured. The three legs were broken in the worst of the injuries.

Before the bandit suppression brigade could rush again, the bandits who were so scared that they were dead actually brought stones to block the scissors. At this point, the bandits could not come down, and the bandit suppression team would not go up again.

When the news came back, Tang Cheng watched County Magistrate Zhang smash the precious white porcelain teacup of the imperial kiln to pieces, and his increasingly haggard face also became a little anxious.

Hundreds of strong men gathered there, but they could not attack. But there was a lot of food to eat. As the time of relocation was longer, the county's official warehouse gradually felt the pressure. As the wheat harvest time approached, the strong men who were happy that they could only eat but not work were not stable, and they were thinking about going home to prepare for the double robbery.

The pressure of time, the pressure of the official warehouse and the pressure of strengthening people's hearts accumulated to the magistrate Zhang County, and the haggard expression on his face became more and more obvious. The temper became more and more popular. Tang Cheng ate several times and did not say that he was not talking about it. On a rainy afternoon, Zhang and Yao, who had been indifferent to it, finally broke out in their first verbal filth. As for the cause, it could even be ignored.

A layer of light blood was covered in his eyes. After Magistrate Zhang returned to the office with a gray face, Zhang asked Tang Cheng to inform him to prepare his carriage and horses, and set off for Erlong Village tomorrow morning.

As the situation has developed to this point, as time goes by, County Magistrate Zhang can no longer sit still in the county government office.

The next morning, Tang Cheng, who had asked for leave from the county school, followed the county magistrate Zhang, and came out of Yunxi County under a toll-door guard to Erlongzhai.

County Magistrate Zhang seemed to be very anxious. He, a civil servant, actually gave up his car and rode his horse to Erlong Village. This has really made Tang Cheng miserable. He also followed Zhang Xiangwen to ride a horse a few days ago, but the time was too short, and the mare was very gentle when he was learning riding. The so-called riding was just a person sitting on it. This suddenly appeared, and the feeling was really bad. It was tiring to ride a horse for a long distance, and his riding skills that could barely fall off were even more tiring.

But since he was a man who went out to work, even the magistrate of Zhang was riding a horse, Tang Cheng could only grit his teeth and hold on. He rushed to the past two days. Although he had rested several times in between, he was not young and old. But when he arrived at Erlongzhai, his whole body was stiff and exhausted. His legs, which were sandwiched in the horse's belly, were even more red.

He couldn't rest at this point. After arriving at Erlongzhai, Tang Cheng, who was stiff and gray-faced, accompanied County Magistrate Zhang to Zhao Laohu's residence.

This is obviously a temporary earthen enclosure, which is really simple. It was at dusk and the lighting in the house was not good, so when Tang Cheng stepped into the door framed by the logs, he couldn't see the scene inside clearly.

County Magistrate Zhang was obviously the same as him, but the people in the house saw them first, "Mr. Zhang, why are you here? Ziwen, light the lamp."

As the orange oil lamp lighted up, Tang Cheng saw Zhao Laohu lying on a thick couch in the room. The expression on his face was no different from when he was in the county government office. The only difference was that the exposed leg was thick and swollen, and there was a layer of black stuff that he didn't know what it was, which looked very scary.

Although Zhang Ziwen, who was standing next to his couch, was not injured, his eyes were black and he looked really haggard.

"The room is small, and the lamps are heavy, so I can't help but not light the lamp. Lord Zhang, sit down." Zhao Laohu made a move and wanted to get up, but his body was pressed by the magistrate Zhang who was robbing forward as soon as he moved. "You have injured your leg, don't move around."

"Mr. Zhao suffered." He carefully looked at Zhao Laohu's injured leg. The county magistrate Zhang, who was in a low mood, stood up and raised his tone and said, "Zhao County Commander led the way, personally took the bow and arrow, and eliminated local bandit troubles for Jing, and did not avoid life and death. After the bandit suppression was successful, this official will personally take the imperial examination and examination for the Ministry of Personnel to request merit as the county magistrate."

"This relationship is good! Tang Cheng, why are you standing there? He brought the wooden slut over and asked the adults to sit down." At this moment, Zhang Zishan, who was holding two bowls of tea in his hand, walked in, "This place is simple and there is only white water for guests. Lord Zhang will drink some to quench his thirst."

Tang Cheng moved Mu Shao over, and looked at Zhao Laohu lying on the bed while drinking the water handed over by Zhang Zishan. He failed to suppress the bandits and suffered such severe injuries again. Why is he still like nothing? Is he really not annoyed, or is he deliberately enduring it?

After County Magistrate Zhang asked a few more questions about the injury to his legs, the two of them naturally turned to Erlong Village. Zhao Laohuyin carefully explained the scene of leading the team up the mountain the previous few times, but there was no good way to face such a dangerous terrain.

What Zhao Laohu said was stated in the news that was sent back. County Magistrate Zhang rushed over with worry. He heard these uninformed things. Not only did he not understand, but his anxiety became worse and worse. However, Zhao Laohu had already become so injured. He really couldn't say much, so he could only sit in a depressed manner for a while and said something that made Zhao Laohu feel at ease to raise his legs.

After making a plan to go up the mountain to see the terrain the next morning, Tang Cheng followed Zhang County Magistrate and was led by Zhang Zishan to his residence. This is a small mountain village seven or eight miles away from Erlong Village. The entire village is only thirteen families. Although they are very poor, they are much better than Zhao Laohu's residence.

County Magistrate Zhang was in a bad mood and was really tired these two days. After eating the pie, he went straight to sleep. Tang Cheng was the same. After soaking his feet in boiling hot water, he fell asleep as soon as he poured it on the bed.

The next morning, I followed the magistrate of Zhang County to Erlong Peak. The terrain of the scissors was exactly the same as what Zhao Laohu said. It was not only dangerous, but now it was blocked by timid bandits from above with stones. If the bandit suppression brigade wants to rush up further, it must move the stones first.

There is nothing to say when I saw this scene, but even if the magistrate Zhang who came down the mountain was anxious, he could only look confident and warm to comfort the recruited men.

Zhang Zishan was with him when the magistrate Zhang went there, and Tang Cheng stayed in the house where Zhao Laohu was injured.

After handing over a bowl of water, Tang Cheng began to change the medicine for Zhao Laohu, "After all, I am over fifty. Even if I try my best, why do you, the county magistrate, rush to the front?"

Although Tang Cheng said something was a bit complaining, it was the intimacy of his family. Zhao Laohu still couldn't hear it. After a moment of silent smile, Zhao Laohu started to speak: "Since the year when I turned from the outflow to the outflow, I have never caught the thief myself."

"Then this time...".

"I understood after leading the brigade to Erlong Village for the first time. If the town army does not go out, it is impossible to attack Erlong Village before September."

"Then you're the second time..." Tang Cheng's hand holding the medicine bowl suddenly shook. "Is this a intentional injury?"

After hearing Tang Cheng's question, Zhao Laohu rarely smiled bitterly, "I thought it would be enough to hang a flower, but who knew that someone had not avoided the injury to his legs, so he was so injured. After all, he was old and his legs were out of control."

Upon hearing this, Tang Cheng really didn't know what to say. After being silent for a long time, he said, "Why is this?"

"Erlongzhai is too important to County Magistrate Zhang. I personally presided over the matter. If he couldn't catch it, he would definitely be very upset with me even if he didn't say it." Speaking of this, Zhao Laohu's face showed a self-deprecating bitter smile, "I'm not afraid of him, but if he could get a little lottery, wouldn't it be better to avoid this grudge? Besides, I am a county magistrate who specializes in catching thieves. Since I have come, I can't do anything without any action. I thought I would always go up and take some minor injuries by the way. Who knew that after all, I missed the old man's body and couldn't keep up."

In this shabby house with dim light, when Zhao Laohu talked about his thoughts, Tang Cheng inexplicably remembered the scene when he first met Zhao Laohu. It was his first time to enter the county government. When he saw Zhao Laohu cursing and beating a subordinate's consent, his words were stunning. Anyone who saw him like that would naturally think that Zhao County Wei was a rough man with no brains. After all, his experience in his big green skin was known to everyone in the county.

But later he found out that Zhao Laohu's whipping subordinates was just a trick to do something. After these two recent conversations, Tang Cheng's deeper feeling was that this yamen could really train people, and he tempered a big green skin that was so willful that he had become an old fox who was now deeply in a deep mind.

Then the two of them said something else, and the topic was naturally inseparable from Erlong Village. After arriving here in person, Tang Cheng realized that it was much more complicated than he had thought before. When he thought about Zhao Laohu's words that day, he felt deeper and deeper.

But no matter how touched it is, Tang Cheng's heart was no less heavy than that of the magistrate Zhang. Whether it was childish or stupid, or young people were impulsive or irrational, at least once he had linked his position in the county government with the future of the magistrate Zhang's magistrate.

Once the Erlongzhai problem cannot be solved and County Magistrate Zhang becomes an official, Tang Cheng is not going to stay in the county government without being welcomed. Instead of relying on Zhao Laohu's face to make a living, he might as well make a decision to go back to the Mingjinshi path.

I just thought that although I thought so, I really had to do it. In terms of my original intention, Tang Chengshi hopes that the extermination of Erlong Village will be completed successfully this time.

After chatting for a while, County Magistrate Zhang came back. As soon as he entered the door, his confidence and ease he had just made himself desperate outside the door disappeared. County Magistrate Zhang, Zhao Laohu, Zhang Zishan and the retired town soldiers discussed together for a long time, but he could not come up with a practical and effective way to attack the mountain.

The whole atmosphere ended in a dullness.

Because the county master came to comfort him, the emotions of the strong men temporarily calmed down. In the following two days, Zhang Zishan led the team to the Erlong Peak twice. Tang Cheng accompanied the county magistrate Zhang who was urging him to accompany him. However, except for hurting a few more people, it did not help much in the situation.

The repeated efforts but ineffectiveness have had a huge blow to people's morale. Not only did the men who were drawn see that it was impossible to attack Erlong Village, but even the conscripts thought so in their hearts that although Zhao Laohu and Zhang Zishan did not say such words explicitly, the expressions on their faces actually revealed their thoughts.

Under such circumstances, although County Magistrate Zhang was still supporting himself, the despair flashed in his eyes did not escape Tang Cheng's eyes.

County Magistrate Zhang is a literati. A typical literati official encountered such a thing when he was in charge of the place for the first time. It was really difficult for him. Seeing County Magistrate Zhang who was so casual and comfortable on the chessboard of the Shanting a year ago, Tang Cheng, who was in a heavy mood, couldn't help but sigh. Being an official is indeed a glory, but who saw the heaviness behind the glory in front of this person?

The weather was very bad on this day, just like Tang Chengdi's mood. When the sun sets, as the magistrate Zhang returned to the small mountain village where he was staying, both of them were speechless.

After dinner, County Magistrate Zhang went back to the room by himself. It was boring to sit outside, so he returned to the room and lay down. Unfortunately, he couldn't sleep if he had something to do in his heart. After rolling around on the couch for a long time, he felt more anxious and could not lie down.

It was too hard to resist, so Tang Cheng simply turned over from the couch and thought of blowing the night wind outside to get some breath.

Because County Magistrate Zhang lived in the same house, he deliberately put his steps very light when he came out. The night in the mountains suddenly came out and ate the cool night breeze. Tang Cheng shivered all over his body, but the irritability in his chest became much more relaxed.

Standing under the eaves, looking at the dark mountains in front of him, Tang Cheng heard the murmur sounds on the melon rack on the left. The sound was clearly the owner of this house.

"You are the head of the family, if you don't go to Wang Lizheng tomorrow, I can't make this meal." The person who spoke was the hostess Yu Qisao. This woman looked in her early thirties and forties. Although her family was not rich, she was very clean and had good food and food. This was also the reason why County Magistrate Zhang and Tang Que were arranged to rest at his house.

The man Yu Qi listened to the wife's complaint and said nothing. After a long time of silence, he smacked his lips and said, "Since the county wants to suppress the bandits in Erlong Village, what's the mess here? Wang Li is busy with his heels hitting him all these days. I'll go find him now, this..."

"He was busy and he was asshole, so we would have a good time. No matter how busy he was, he was only a few people to support him. The county magistrate was settled at home. This county magistrate is easy to serve? Only 80 cents were given this day. I dared to lose six dishes in that meal? I dared to lose four meat dishes in that meal? I would not pay ten or twenty cents that day..." Yu Qi's wife deliberately lowered her voice and complained and aggrieved, but it turned out that the couple was hiding here to discuss the matter. I guess they were afraid that County magistrate Zhang and Tang Cheng would hear it when they talked in the house.

When the couple said something was related to themselves, Tang Cheng listened more and more carefully. Yu Qisan was silent for a while, and when he saw the man still kept silent, he immediately became angry, "I tell you, if you don't go to find Wang Lizheng, our family will not even weigh the salt tomorrow. If you get rid of the county master, you will have to beat the board and resist the shackles. You must be the man in charge, so don't blame me at that time."

Yu Qi was annoyed when he heard his wife's words, "What's Hu Xuanxuan?"

"I, Hu Jiuxuan? Look at the master of this county and the Tang Dynasty. I have never laughed since I moved into our house. Such people are hard-working. You can wait when you are not good at greetings! It's okay to say that other meaty people are good. There are always some dry mountain goods in the neighborhoods that can be borrowed for envoys, but I can't borrow the salt goods back!"

When Tang Cheng heard this, he thought about the food preparation these days, and then totaled 80 cents of official money every day. It was really not enough. No wonder Yu Qisao was full of complaints. When she thought of this, Tang Cheng, who was shaking her head secretly, suddenly felt a move in her heart.

Salt, by the way, it's salt!
Chapter completed!