Yang Min's house in Jinyang is actually much more luxurious than his house in Yecheng.
The tall courtyard wall is taller than the city wall in Liyang, giving off a chilling atmosphere.
The warriors patrolling back and forth in the mansion were extremely fierce. They were fully armed and arranged neatly in a formation. Their armors made rhythmic clashing sounds as they moved around. Kou Liu subconsciously looked around, and he found that it was almost impossible to sneak in here.
of.
He followed Yang Min to the study room.
Yang Min sat down and shrugged. There was still some pain in his back, but he was big and couldn't touch his back with his hands.
He looked at Kou Liu beside him. With his strange hair ornaments and beard, he knew he was from Xianbei.
When this guy came to deliver the message, he thought he was a Xianbei scout under Gao Changgong, but he didn't expect that he was actually a county official.
He suddenly asked: "Where are you from? Are you from Xianbei?"
Kou Liu didn't expect that this dignified prime minister would actually want to talk to him. At this moment, he was extremely excited and his body was trembling slightly. "Go back to Yang Xiang! I am from Xianbei. My eldest father came to Yecheng because of his merits."
He was an official and later died for the king. My father once served as a county captain and died young due to illness."
"Then how did you become a county official?"
"I studied law at the Cheng'an Law School, and then took part in the examination. After passing it, I became a cavalry officer in Cheng'an, and then moved to Liyang County as a chancellor. I gained his appreciation and now serve as the chief clerk of the history office in Liyang County."
Yang Min was a little surprised, and he suddenly asked: "The person who promoted you, You You, is also Xianbei?"
"He is Han Chinese."
Yang Min smiled and looked at Kou Liu with increasingly kind eyes, "How wonderful it is to study the law, read the classics well, and work for the country!"
"The county magistrate who promoted you is Liu Taozi from Cheng'an, right?"
Kou Liu was shocked, "Mr. Yang actually knew?"
"Haha, how could I not know? When the Murong family reprimanded Cheng'an Kuli, it was because of this person that I attached great importance to it."
"However, now it seems that Duke Gao, Magistrate Lu, Magistrate Shi, Magistrate Lu and others can be friends with him and be friendly with him. It can be seen that he is by no means the cruel official described by others!"
"No wonder Lu Yao values ​​him so much."
Yang Min looked at him and said, "Give me the letter."
Kou Liu hurriedly took out the letter and handed it to Yang Min in front of him.
Yang Min picked up the letter and read it carefully. After reading it several times, Yang Min's expression showed no change, neither anger nor surprise.
He didn't speak, and Kou Liu didn't dare to speak.
The atmosphere fell into silence, and Kou Liu felt very uneasy.
Seemingly sensing the discomfort of the clerk in front of him, Yang Min said, "Don't be afraid."
"In fact, I knew about Li Yang's situation a long time ago and it has developed to this point. It's all because of my fault. It's very painful for Mr. Shi."
Kou Liu lowered his head. He could not understand these words and did not dare to answer them.
Yang Min looked at him, "Kou Liu, I'm busy with the national funeral, so I won't reply to Mr. Shi. You go back and tell him that I already know these things. Let him hold on for a little longer, and I will send someone there.
.As for food, there is a shortage of food everywhere right now.”
"Let's do this, let him persist for another fifteen days, and after the fifteenth day, I will decide what to do in Liyang!!"
Kou Liu remembered these words, stood up quickly, saluted, and turned to leave.
"Kou Liu."
Yang Min stopped him. He rummaged for a moment and took out a yellowed book from the side. He handed the book to Kou Liu.
"When I served as the governor of the government and participated in government affairs, I was still young and made many mistakes. I recorded all these mistakes and opened them when I had nothing to do so that I would not make them again."
"Please give this book to Liu Xiancheng from Liyang for me."
"This is the first time he has been appointed as a prime minister to manage the affairs of a county. I am afraid that he lacks experience. This book can just make up for it."
"only!!"
Kou Liu left here. After the other party left, Yang Min stretched out his hand and wanted to scratch his back, but he was so big that his hands couldn't reach it. The emperor was no longer here, but the emperor was in Yang Min's hands.
The traces left on Min's body have never been erased. Yang Min often feels pain and itching in his back. He can tolerate the pain, but the itching always distracts him and prevents him from focusing all his energy on state affairs.
Just as he was about to call the old slave in to scratch him, someone came to report again.
"Master, Duke Yan has come to pay his respects."
"Let him in quickly!"
Soon, a strong and sturdy man walked into the house. This man was tall and burly. He looked powerful, but his hair was not much, and it was a bit weird. This man was the temple attendant.
At the opening of the mansion, Duke Yanzi presented the gift.
Yan Zixian paid his respects to Yang Min, and Yang Min quickly asked him to sit down.
"Mr. Yang, the Queen Mother just called me over and asked me about the prince's enthronement. She also told me not to mistreat the ministers. I don't quite understand what the Queen Mother wants to do."
Yan Zixian also looked a little tired and in a daze. These important officials in the temple have been quite busy in recent days.
Yang Min shook his head gently, "It's okay. If the Queen Mother asks anything, you can answer it. If the Queen Mother orders you, you can agree. Don't worry too much. The Queen Mother's words and deeds today show that she will not interfere in the prince's affairs."
"It's better to think about the bad governance in this place!"
"oh?"
"Oh, the local high-ranking officials are all nobles. These people only know how to fight on horseback. How can they govern the place? Daqi is currently seriously short of food. If these despicable and shameless thieves are not dealt with, the world will probably be in trouble.
Chaos!"
"Ji Ze, you start preparations now. When the prince ascends the throne and we return to Yecheng, I will start to remove the traitors inside and outside. The temples have given out titles indiscriminately and used many traitors. Inside and outside the court, they are all mediocre, cruel and incompetent.
officials! I am ready to remove them all."
Listening to Yang Min's words, Yan Zixian had some hesitation on his face.
"Mr. Yang, are you a little too hasty?"
"urgent?"
Yang Min shook his head and said seriously: "Every day we delay, I don't know how many virtuous people will be humiliated, and I don't know how many people will die tragically at their hands. We can wait, but can they still wait?"
"If we don't get rid of the rats that steal food, people will starve to death."
Yan Zixian still felt that something was not appropriate.
But he didn't know how to persuade him. After thinking for a long time, he could only nod. What Mr. Yang said was indeed reasonable. Daqi's current food shortage situation has reached an unprecedented level. And the food problem is very serious.
To a large extent, it is due to corrupt officials. A large number of officials have been cut off and dismissed, and the rats have been driven away. This has not only reduced the burden on the national treasury, but also helped reduce local oppression.
Hopefully this won't cause too much turmoil.
Liyang, school field.
"kill!!"
The county soldiers formed a long formation. These county soldiers were dressed in various rags and rags. Some were holding weapons and some were empty-handed.
Their standing postures were also quite ridiculous. They were crooked, without any formation at all, and they were noisy. Some were standing on tiptoes, some were squatting on the ground, some were chatting animatedly with the people around them, and some were yawning profusely.
Dugujie was standing in front of them, leading them in their first big drill.
It's said to be a big drill, but it's actually just formation and movement.
Yao Xiong and Liu Taozi stood on the sentry tower outside the school grounds. Looking at the unsightly scene in the distance, Yao Xiong couldn't help but turn his head.
Can this be called a county soldier?
They are not even as good as thieves. Twenty Xianbei knights from Cheng'an will probably be able to kill them all.
Dugujie was furious, waving the whip in his hand, constantly scolding, beating and scolding, asking everyone to line up according to his orders and stand in their positions.
From a distance, Yao Xiong could feel the irritable and angry mood of the county lieutenant at this moment.
But Liu Taozi looked at it very seriously and remained motionless.
Yao Xiong suddenly said: "Brother, didn't you give Dugujie a lot of things? Weapons, food, clothes, and yes, meat."
"But these county soldiers are still wearing rags, and they don't look like they have eaten. Didn't they swallow everything during the Dugu Festival?"
Liu Taozi glanced at him and said, "Look carefully."
Yao Xiong said no more.
I practiced for a long time on Dugujie, and the more I practiced, the angrier I became.
But it wasn't just Dugujie who was angry, the county soldiers who were being drilled also looked a bit wrong at the moment.
The lack of food and clothing has been going on for a long time. They are all hungry now and have no strength to walk. How can they withstand your training?
You have a loud voice and eat meat every day, but what about us?
I've only been drinking vegetable soup these past few days, and I can't even stand still. If I have to listen to you yelling here, what kind of formation should I make?
Their resistance seems to be getting worse, and their formation is becoming more and more chaotic.
Dugujie squinted his eyes and ignored all this.
Finally, Dugujie stopped roaring. He stood on the high platform, looked at everyone, and motioned to his subordinates.
Soon, I saw several people pushing carts slowly towards this side. The county soldiers who were originally lax, careless, and noisy suddenly became silent. Everyone looked at the carts.
There was a large barrel in the car, and even from a distance, they could smell the fragrance coming from the barrel.
The county soldiers swallowed their saliva, their eyes staring straight at the car, like hungry wolves, staring intently, which was really scary.
Dugujie looked at everyone and said loudly: "The county government values ​​you very much."
"Xian Cheng Liu Gong, please let me train you all!!"
"Today's half-day training, although not very good, is much better than before!"
"I'm very satisfied! That's it for today's training, let's eat!!"
Dugujie waved his hand, and the military officials began to distribute the meals. The county soldiers received bowls and chopsticks and began to line up in a long formation. At this time, they stood much more neatly than before. They didn't speak.
Just stare at the barrel.
The captain handed the bowl to the officer, who scooped him a large bowl of broth. You could even see a few strips of meat floating in the bowl.
The captain was stunned for a long time. He looked at the people behind him, his face full of excitement. The military officer quickly urged: "Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Next one!"
The captain squatted not far away, no longer caring about his face, and started eating with big mouthfuls.
Liyang County has 600 county soldiers, but there are no buildings. There are only six teams, each with a hundred people, directly managed by the captain. Each captain has ten or twenty teams under his command.
The first to eat were the captains, commanders, and corps commanders.
Not to mention the top soldiers, these captains were all devouring their food at the moment, almost swallowing their own tongues.
Soon, the only sound left in the school grounds was the sound of people eating.
Dugujie looked at everyone, nodded with satisfaction, but didn't bother.
After everyone finished eating, they exchanged bowls and chopsticks, and everyone lined up again. Obviously, the formation this time was much more orderly than the one in the morning.
Dugujie said: "Rest for an hour first, and then continue to practice. If you can practice better, you can have another meal at night."
"only!!!"
Dugujie walked out from them and quickly arrived in front of the sentry tower. Liu Taozi took Yao Xiong down to meet him.
Dugujie laughed, "I just saw Mr. Liu watching from above, but he is still practicing and can't come to see me. I hope Mr. Liu will forgive me."
"Dugu Gong doesn't have to be like this."
Liu Taozi said calmly, then looked at the county soldiers in the distance, "Can they change their appearance in ten days?"
"no problem."
Dugujie said confidently: "In ten days, I can't train them all into elites, but it is still possible to let them dare to charge and kill. However, this still requires the help of the county government."
Yao Xiong spoke, "Dugu Gong, the county government has helped a lot this time with food, military uniforms, weapons, everything. But I see that the county soldiers are still wearing shabby clothes, and many of them still have no weapons."
Dugujie laughed, "Sir, have you ever raised a dog?"
"Never."
"This military training is the same as dog training. If you do well, you will be rewarded. If you don't do well, you will be punished. The difference is that military training is more cruel."
"Let the soldiers know that if you obey the general, you will be rewarded, but if you disobey, you will die."
"If you go back and forth like this and practice continuously, you will eventually become the most obedient county soldiers. How can you just throw so many things to them from the county government? These are all rewards in the future."
Hearing that Dugujie referred to military training as dog training, Yao Xiong always felt a little uncomfortable, but he didn't say much.
Liu Taozi glanced at Dugujie and said, "That's what it is. If there is no result after ten days,"
Dugujie frowned, his face solemn.
"I will go to the county government to plead guilty!"
Looking around, there is flat farmland all around. Even if there is a slope, it is only slightly higher than the road and does not block the view.
On both sides of the road, you can still see the remnants of the road protection forest planted in an unknown period.
The huge tree stumps were all covered in black. These road protection forests were ruthlessly cut off by people, and they were wrapped in soil and weeds. The stumps were surrounded by mouse burrows.
Among the weeds and shrubs, the long insect raised its head, stared coldly at the pedestrians passing by, and then got into the unknown skeleton.
On both sides of the road are large tracts of cultivated land, which have just experienced the autumn harvest. This continuous cultivated land is enough to surprise any outsider.
On the edge of the cultivated land, several hungry farmers could be seen squatting on the ground, using small hoes to dig holes for small animals, trying to catch a few to feed themselves.
Liyang has the largest amount of arable land. It has been the granary of the Central Plains for a long time. However, even with so much arable land, it has not been able to change the famine here. What is lacking here is not arable land, water sources, or farm tools. What is lacking here is knives.
and blood.
Liu Taozi rode a blue lion, followed by six horsemen, and they walked together on the official road outside Liyang.
Tian Zili is not in the team, he needs to be responsible for everything in Liyang County.
Yao Xiong was still beside him, his eyes full of excitement, holding the knife at his waist tightly.
"Brother Taozi, if you really want to take action, you should slow down a little so that I can keep up. Your blue lion is too fast and my horse can't keep up."
Liu Taozi didn't answer, he just raised his head and looked at the city wall in the distance.
The opposite side is Dunqiu County.
The big families in Liyang County are very active at the moment. After the collapse of the Li family, they did not need to be urged by the county government. The remaining rich and powerful households transported grains to the county government in piles.
As for Dongli, that area has been leveled, and even three feet of ground was dug. Not even a single living earthworm was left in the house of the only wealthy family.
With two counties and one township, the only thing left is Dunqiu County in front of us.
From a distance, he saw that the city gate was already crowded with people, and they were all packed with people. Yao Xiong slowly put his hand on the handle of the knife.
As the two sides gradually approached, they saw several people walking quickly towards them in the distance, all on foot.
The leader was an old man, who looked to be in his fifties or sixties. He was thin, his face was full of wrinkles, and he was wearing mourning clothes.
He walked quickly in front of Taozi, and before Taozi and others dismounted, he saluted, "Dunqiu orders Lu An to pay homage to Mr. Liu!!"
Behind him, everyone saluted, and many people saluted directly.
Yao Xiong was shocked, the county magistrate??
Liu Taozi turned around and dismounted, held the green lion, and walked slowly in front of Magistrate Lu. Magistrate Lu raised his head, his face was covered with sweat, and his eyes were full of fear. He smiled awkwardly, "
Liu Gong."
"Get up."
Liu Taozi helped him up and then looked at the people behind him, "What are these?"
Magistrate Lu was very old and a bit stooped, which made him quite short. Standing next to Tao Zi, the difference was even more obvious. He quickly explained: "I heard that Liu Gong was coming, so I took many officials from the county with me.
There are also many famous families who came to pay their respects."
"Liu Gong, they have prepared all the food you asked for. We have prepared one hundred and sixty carriages, full of them."
Everyone was kneeling on the ground at this moment, not daring to raise their heads and trembling.
Liu Taozi looked at him, "Only one hundred and sixty?"
Magistrate Lu trembled and said, "No, we can add more, we can add more."
"Have you ever opened a warehouse to store grain?"
“Not yet”
"I will be staying in Dunqiu these days to supervise you and wait for the food distribution."
"Okay, okay, it's our honor to have you stay with us. It's ours."
"Needless to say, let's start preparing for the distribution of grain now. Send me another hundred county soldiers to escort some of the grain to Liyang."
"only!!!"
The old man gave instructions hurriedly, and then led Taozi to the county town. The rest of the people were still kneeling at the door, motionless. It was not until the county magistrate brought Taozi into the city that they relaxed, and some people fell directly on the spot.
They looked at each other, their eyes full of fear.
"Liu Shan Mandrill is well-deserved. He is really a man-eating evil spirit."
"Then do we still need to continue delivering food to the county government?"
"Give away! Give away as much as you have! It is better to give away money than give up your life!!!"
Chapter completed!