Wuchuan.
Official office.
The generals from Zhubian Garrison and Guanjin were sitting on both sides, all looking head-on at He Bacheng, who was sitting at the top.
The position where He Bacheng sat was obviously much higher than the others. Sitting here, he could easily see the expressions of every general sitting below.
These officers were tall and exuded a fierce aura from the inside out.
Most of these people are deputies, and principal positions are always appointed during wartime. These deputies are usually held by local people. This obviously violates the rule that they cannot serve as officials in their hometown, but this is also because of the special situation here. If
They rotate with each other, and if someone is transferred from Huaishuo to Wuchuan, I'm afraid something bad will happen.
Through this battle, He Bacheng truly established his identity as a general, and finally allowed these people to treat him as a general.
He Bacheng looked at the people in front of him, cleared his throat, and looked at the man standing on his left.
In the lobby of the official office, Liu Taozi was the only person who stood up.
He was standing under the high platform where He Bacheng was sitting, but he was too big. Even though He Bacheng was sitting on the high platform, Liu Taozi was still much taller than him, and he felt very oppressive.
He looked at the many officers in front of him.
None of these people dared to look at Liu Taozi.
Liu Taozi said: "General Zhen has an order."
"From today on, three prohibitions will be established in the border towns."
"One day prohibits traveling generals. Since the sixth year of Tianbao, many generals from all over the country have been wandering around counties, rioting in places, and not belonging to places. From today on, officers and soldiers are strictly prohibited from wandering out. If something happens, they must report it first and get approval before leaving. Anyone who violates it
cut."
"Second, it is forbidden to bully the people. The soldiers do not obey the law and bully the people of the frontier fortresses and the people of the prefectures and counties. They plunder their money, kill their bodies, rape their wives, are arrogant and lawless, and ignore the law. Anyone who violates this military order will be killed."
"The third rule is that the ban is lax. Recently, the officers and soldiers on the frontier have neglected their martial arts, practiced less, and mostly used private affairs to escape. They neglected military orders, thought they were superior, humiliated their superiors, and were disordered. This is unethical, and those who violate it will be killed."
Liu Taozi said "cut" three times in a row, and all the officers looked a bit wrong.
Liu Taozi looked at everyone again, "From today on, the money, food and materials provided by the temple will never be withheld. They will be distributed on time, and you should do the same. I know that there were some unwritten rules in various places in the past. Take one out of ten.
,what one
Report: Don’t waste your life for these petty gains. I will not keep any of the rewards from the war, but distribute them all. I will report the military merits truthfully and do my best to seek credit for you. However, if you violate my military orders, I will definitely
No mercy!"
"only!"
Everyone bowed to Liu Taozi.
Liu Taozi added: "After you go back, inform your officers and soldiers of these three prohibitions and ask them to comply. If any officers and soldiers do not comply, you should deal with it yourself. If you cannot control it, I will control it for you, and I will take care of you."
I won’t let you wait!”
"only!!"
"After returning home, the first thing I do is to count the number of people under my command, the civilians in the city, read out the ban, and train the soldiers."
"I will send people to patrol various places. If there is meritorious service, I will show my merit, and if there is any crime, I will kill it."
"only!!!"
Liu Taozi then looked at He Bacheng standing aside, "General, do you have anything to add?"
He Bacheng laughed and said, "What General Liu said coincides with mine."
Liu Taozi then waved her hand, "Go back, everyone! Don't neglect us!"
The officers stood up one after another, not looking for He Bacheng, but they all came to say goodbye to Liu Taozi. He Bacheng was not upset at all. He just sat there and watched these people leave happily. After they all left, he
He just stood up and patted his aching legs.
"Brother Liu, what you just said is very reasonable, but there is only one point. All the gains this time have been rewarded, and we don't have much food left."
"I don't have much left here. If there isn't enough food, I'm afraid no one will obey these prohibitions and drills."
Liu Taozi said calmly: "General, don't worry, the food will be delivered."
"I hope so."
He Bacheng was about to leave, but Liu Taozi stood in front of him again, "Is there anything else?"
"And the civilians in the city."
"How are they?"
"These people can be properly accommodated, and in the future, they can solve the problem of money and food."
He Bacheng patted his leg again, "I completely listen to Brother Liu. Brother Liu makes the decision himself."
Liu Taozi strode out of the official office.
The sky is a little gloomy. It has been raining continuously recently. The whole Wuchuan has become wet. The ground is wet and muddy. The front of the government office is particularly lively. There are military officials coming in and out. When they see Liu Taozi standing at the door, they hurriedly bow to him.
These were military officials invited by Cui Gang to assist Liu Taozi in managing local government affairs.
Wuchuan City was quiet, shouts could be heard from the school grounds, and the soldiers were still practicing.
Waves of smoke drifted along with the drizzle, as if dancing gracefully.
Tian Zili hurriedly led the green lion out. Liu Taozi got on the horse, led his followers, and rushed out of the city again.
The roads in the city are relatively flat and strong, and even if they get wet, it will not affect their journey. But outside the city, the situation is completely different. The humidity is mixed with stench, and it is impossible to run wildly in the mud.
Liu Taozi and others reined in their horses and looked towards the city wall.
Even light rain can be a disaster for those dilapidated huts.
The peasants sat in front of the huts blankly, looking ahead blankly. Behind them, they could see those lying in the mud. Rainwater gathered on the city wall, and the thin rain gradually accumulated, and then fell heavily.
Among these poor people, there were soldiers patrolling the city wall. When they felt that there was water, they scooped it up and sprinkled it down the city. The rain all around was drizzle, and it fell on their faces like a gentle caress.
.
Only these civilians gathered outside the city wall. The rainwater on the city wall kept hitting them. They were lying in the mud, and their bodies seemed to have left traces in the mud.
The younger ones sat outside the door and gave the old man a place that was slightly sheltered from the rain.
Their empty eyes looked at the hometown they could never return to in this life, and rain mixed with tears fell down their faces.
Cui Gang was the first to sigh.
"There have been many corvées in the temple over the years, but they always go and never come back. Very few people can survive until the end of the corvée period."
"The work was extremely hard, and there was nothing to eat. Even if the food was distributed, people would come to snatch it away. If a group died, the temple would gather another group."
"Even if someone survives the period of labor, he cannot leave without being presented with documents. If he runs away, he will be dead."
Tian Zili said: "There are so many civilians here, and there is a lot of abandoned farmland. Why not let these people farm? At least they will not die like this. They can also support the military households in the city."
Liu Taozi said nothing. Cui Gang looked around and whispered quickly: "It is not a good thing to let the border soldiers be self-sufficient."
"Then it's a good thing to let the border soldiers starve?!"
"Let the Xianbei people govern the country, that's it!"
Tian Zili said angrily.
"No way, other generals can take care of it, but not this one."
"There is a precedent for the general to privately send troops to plunder the temple. Even if some people are dissatisfied, there are still people to protect him. But if the general wants to recruit civilians to cultivate and cultivate in private and wants to be self-sufficient, I am afraid that even the prime minister will not do it.
I will let it go.”
Cui Gang said seriously: "This matter can only be decided by the temple. As for the general, it cannot even be mentioned."
When it comes to the temple's policies, the irritation between Tian Zili and Cui Gang is no longer so great, and they can even have some discussions.
Liu Taozi suddenly spoke at this moment.
"Of the three major school grounds in the city, the Wengcheng campus is the remaining one. The other two places were vacated and converted into residential buildings for civilians to live in."
"Allow them to build houses there, and get some millet from the grain depot to provide them with temporary emergency supplies."
Cui Gang hurriedly said: "General! It's not that I'm unkind, it's just that if I give this military school ground to them, I'm afraid it will cause dissatisfaction among the soldiers. In addition, we really don't have much food at the moment. If we distribute it again, the temple will give it to us."
If we don’t do it in time, I’m afraid something big will happen.”
"Follow my military orders."
Cui Gang hesitated to speak, and had no choice but to slowly lower his head.
"only."
The drizzle still continued uninterrupted.
Liu Chengcai and others completed their training, led the horses, and followed the others to their mansion amid the flattery of several Cangtou slaves.
As soon as I arrived near the government office, I heard distant noises.
A few people stopped to watch, but saw that many people had gathered around them, and they hurried forward.
Everyone was not looking at any notice, they were looking at the North Campus not far away. The gate of the North Campus was open, and people were coming and going inside. They saw a group of civilians dismantling something. Some were holding wood, and some were dismantling something.
People were walking in and out carrying thatch, and there were military officials watching them all around, making them extremely busy.
Liu Chengcai looked at it for a moment and then asked: "What are you doing?"
"I don't know, it seems like something is being built? Is the general going to renovate the school grounds?"
Someone suddenly turned around and said, "I sent people to inquire about the renovation of the school grounds. I heard that the North Campus is to be converted into residential buildings for civilians to live in!"
Everyone was in an uproar, and Liu Chengcai asked in confusion: "Why?"
"Who knows, maybe the general doesn't like them living under the city wall, or is he afraid that they will run away?"
"Forget it, boring."
Liu Chengcai waved his hand and was about to leave, but suddenly someone said: "Although we haven't used it for a long time, this North Campus was built for us after all, so why don't we just give it to these people?"
"Okay, if you have any ideas, go to the government office and tell the general."
The man lowered his head and said, "Forget it, forget it."
Everyone burst out laughing.
Suddenly seeing Liu Taozi and others coming out of the official office, they didn't dare to laugh anymore and hurriedly dispersed.
Liu Taozi led the rest of the people and walked all the way towards the North Campus. It was very close to the government office. The civilians inside and outside the school grounds were still busy, perhaps because they were too tired. Even when Liu Taozi and others arrived, they were still busy.
He never stopped to pay a visit, he was still busy.
Not far away, there were soldiers making porridge. Compared with the meals of the soldiers, this food was simply terrible, but for these people who had not been able to eat a full meal for several days, it was enough.
The aroma of the food filled the surroundings, and they built a temporary hut to protect the food from getting wet.
There are such huts all over the school grounds. The smell of the food makes the stomachs of the peasants growl, which seems to give them motivation and they work harder.
Tian Zili stood aside and said in a low voice: "There is no need for two school grounds. The North Campus alone is enough to accommodate them. However, it is quite laborious to build a house. Let's make a temporary thatched house for them to live in first, and wait for the weather to clear up.
Let them build it again.”
"I got some sheep from General Heba. It's not enough for them to eat, but it might be okay to smell it."
"I think if they are not allowed to farm, then we can find a way to get some pigs, sheep, poultry, etc. and let them raise them first."
Liu Taozi looked at these people calmly, nodded after listening to Tian Zili's words, and was about to continue walking forward when someone suddenly spoke softly.
"Brother Tao?"
Liu Taozi turned her head suddenly and looked at the person standing not far away.
The man was skinny, with a pair of wrinkled skin covering the bones, and his left hand was twisted, forming a weird arc. At this moment, he was looking at Liu Taozi blankly, and it was him who had just spoken.
Liu Taozi stared at him for a long time, "I am Liu Taozi, who are you."
"It's you. Brother Tao!! It's really you!!"
The pile of bones suddenly became excited, and he walked over excitedly, holding Liu Taozi's shoulder firmly with one hand.
"It's me, Dalang. I'm the boss of the Zhang family."
"Da Lang."
Liu Taozi was stunned and looked at the other party again. Zhang Dalang was Taozi's playmate when he was young and Erlang's brother. He was dragged off to do labor a few years ago and has never been heard from again.
Zhang Dalang's hand firmly grasped Liu Taozi's shoulder, and suddenly he burst into tears.
His cry was extremely pitiful and heartbreaking.
However, the people around him were not moved, nor did they take another look. They had long been immune to the crying, and they just continued to do their work stiffly.
Zhang Dalang didn't know how much he cried, until he almost lost his voice.
Liu Taozi gave him her water bag, and he drank it in one gulp while crying.
"Are my parents okay?"
Liu Taozi pursed her lips and said, "He is no longer alive, but Erlang is doing well and is already working as an official in his hometown."
Zhang Dalang could no longer cry. He froze on the spot and was speechless for a long time.
Liu Taozi looked at Tian Zili and said, "You continue to stare here. I'll get back to you first."
"only."
Liu Taozi took Zhang Dalang away from here and walked towards the government office. Zhang Dalang followed Liu Taozi, limping, and the two returned to the government office. Liu Taozi had some food prepared, but Zhang Dalang was jerky.
Sitting aside, he came back to his senses and became a little uneasy and quite restrained at this moment.
Looking at the food in front of him, even though his stomach was growling, he didn't dare to eat it. He just looked at Liu Taozi secretly.
"Eat."
Liu Taozi opened his mouth, and then he quickly picked up the meat, stuffed it into his mouth, and devoured it very quickly.
Liu Taozi didn't say anything, just watched him eat.
Seeing that he had finished eating a piece, Liu Taozi asked: "If you weren't building a palace in Yecheng, why are you here?"
Zhang Dalang immediately stopped eating and replied timidly: "After the palace was built, someone said they would send us home, but it turned out that they took us all the way here. From then on, I am here. They don't allow us to go back.
I work hard day and night, I just want to see my family and suffer.”
"People here."
He opened his mouth and suddenly stopped.
"That's all you say."
"The people here don't treat us as human beings and don't give us food. We can only pick some wild vegetables to eat. Every time we have to do something, they give us some food, but it's not enough for us. We don't have a place to live.
No clothes, nothing. Many people died every day, but the Xianbei people ignored them. When there were more people, they would just find a place and bury them together."
"Every year, many people are sent and buried. Outside the city, there are piles of buried bones."
Zhang Dalang said, his eyes turning red again, "They are moody, drunk, and want to kill people, so they come to kill people. Even if they kill people, no one will hold them accountable."
"Brother Tao, I beg you, please take me home, please. I just want to go home, I want to go home."
He quickly got up and was about to kneel down to Liu Taozi, but Liu Taozi, with quick eyes and quick hands, grabbed his arm and stopped him from kneeling down.
"I will take you back."
"Don't do this."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so much."
Liu Taozi watched him finish the rest of the meal, then took him to the door, ordered a knight to take him to rest, and sent someone to call Cui Gang over.
Cui Gang currently lives in the right wing of the government office. He and a group of military officials live here and jointly manage everything inside and outside the garrison.
When he learned that Liu Taozi asked him to come over, he immediately put down what he was doing and hurried over.
When he opened the door and walked into the inner room, there were no lights on. Even though the windows were open, the room still seemed deserted and dark.
Liu Taozi sat in the upper position with a stern look on his face.
Cui Gang felt an indescribable anger burning in his body.
His face was still calm, but his eyes were different from usual and became sharper. He looked at Cui Gang. At that moment, Cui Gang felt a chill in his back and could hardly move.
"Cui Jun, write a memorial for me."
Cui Gang was stunned, and hurriedly rummaged around, found some paper and pen and ink, and sat down next to Liu Taozi respectfully.
"Three things in total."
"First of all, I hope that the temple can stop the corvee service and stop sending people to die here."
"Secondly, I hope that the temple can abolish the original management system for border guards and civilians. Instead of distributing it to military households, the local governor should be responsible, establish corresponding positions at all levels, and manage it uniformly."
"Third, I hope that temples can follow the example of ancient times and set up military camps in frontier fortresses, allowing these civilians to cultivate and graze here to solve the money and food crisis."
"Cui Jun can write it by himself, but if you don't want to write it, the temple can't understand it."
Cui Gang trembled, and he quickly dropped the pen in his hand.
"General, you are currently stationed at the frontier and are capable of commanding a large number of troops. If you give such a report, you will inevitably be mistaken for having different ambitions."
"No problem, please write now."
"General! This matter is not a trivial matter. Since ancient times, those who hold heavy troops and guard the frontiers must be careful in everything they do. Although the general is favored by the prime minister, just writing a letter like this will definitely arouse vigilance. Even if he does not die, he may be transferred.
, please forgive me for not being able to obey."
Liu Taozi slowly looked at Cui Gang again.
Cui Gang hesitated for a moment, "It is better to write these three things to my father and let him report it. He is not a frontier general. Besides, the prime minister also attaches great importance to him. It will be more advantageous for him to report it."
Liu Taozi was silent for a moment.
"good."
Chapter completed!