"Oh, it's good that these casual officials came quite early, not bad."
One person was stroking his beard and glanced at Zhang Li and others, his eyes full of banter.
Cao Gong stood opposite this person and said calmly: "There are many casual officials and they are not as free as He Gong, so naturally they cannot come in time."
The man stopped talking.
Duke Cao called Zhang Li to his side and said, "Clean the roads here, prepare the feed, and ask for the best."
Officials are indeed coming.
But the casual officials came here not to meet the new officials together, but to do miscellaneous tasks.
Cleaning roads, driving away idlers, arranging old men, carrying things, and preparing feed for nobles' horses. In short, they just follow orders and run errands, and do whatever needs to be done, just like slaves.
Everyone got busy. Official Zhang brought the bed, and several officials were sitting on the bed. There was still some time before the officials arrived.
Tian Zili rode his horse and kept going back and forth, reporting the official's specific arrival time.
Taozi is responsible for carrying heavy objects.
Everyone is busy.
Several gray-haired old men were standing not far away, leaning on crutches, and the casual officials were teaching them how to shout and how to greet them in the future.
The old men were trembling, looking at the officials with slightly fearful eyes, nodding their heads obediently, and reciting what they wanted to say when greeting them.
The scorching sun crept up little by little, and the dazzling light enveloped the city gate.
Several officials had dry mouths and drank water several times in a row.
After more than an hour of this, Tian Zili galloped over again.
"Here, here, the noble man will be here immediately!"
The officials got up quickly, had their beds removed, squatted beside the city wall, solved their personal problems, rinsed their mouths with water, and patted their bodies with fragrant powder.
After waiting for a moment, a carriage appeared in the distance, followed by four strong servants on foot.
There were also two warriors riding horses, guarding both sides of the carriage.
The officials quickly lowered their heads. The casual officials were not allowed to approach, so they stood further away.
The carriage stopped and a young man got out of the carriage.
As soon as he appeared, everyone's eyes lit up.
This young man looks clean and well-dressed, and can be described as having a dignified appearance.
He looked beyond the few petty officials in front of him and looked at the city behind them.
Disappointment immediately flashed in his eyes.
"Not as good as Yecheng."
Several officials just pretended that they couldn't hear and hurriedly came forward, "Greetings to Captain Cheng An!"
The young man then glanced at the few clerks in front of him. He turned around and got into the carriage without replying.
The servant drove again, and several officials were a little embarrassed.
The carriage passed by them, and the officials hurriedly followed the carriage. Cao Gong wiped the sweat from his forehead and called Zhang Li.
"Tell those old men to go back and remove everything."
"When I go back, I will send people to clean up all the places in the county government. Even the Hun clan will be polished for me so that there is no smell at all."
Before Zhang Li could speak, Duke Cao ran towards the carriage.
Zhang Li and others stood in the distance, watching the officials follow the carriage like dogs and disappear without a trace in the distance.
Tian Zili's eyes were playful, he shook his head and said nothing.
Zhang Li left a few casual officials to take charge of things here, while he took the rest of them to the county government office.
"This lieutenant seems to be of high origin."
Tian Zili said.
Zhang Li said: "There are only seven lieutenants in the Qing capital in the world. Those who can serve as lieutenants here will not be of low origin."
"What grade is he?"
"Positive ninth grade."
“So low??”
"The average county magistrate is not lower than the eighth rank, the county magistrate is the seventh rank, and the great county magistrate is the sixth rank. Only the three county magistrates of Ye, Linzhang, and our Cheng'an are from the fifth rank."
Official Zhang is indeed a veteran and knows all these things very well, but this is the first time that Tian Zili knows this.
In the county government office, the new county lieutenant was looking around, with a group of officials following behind him. Mr. Cao was explaining the surroundings to him enthusiastically.
He looked around, found a clean step in the courtyard, and sat down.
Several people quickly stood in front of him.
"My surname is Gao."
The county captain spoke.
At this moment, several staff members turned pale and buried their heads deeper.
"My name is Gao Xun. I am the Gao family of Bohai, and I am the nephew of Lord Zhongwu!!"
After hearing this, several officials breathed a sigh of relief.
Mr. Cao's eyes flickered, and he looked straight at the other person, a bit rude.
Gao Xun immediately frowned, "What are you doing?!"
Duke Cao hurriedly saluted and said, "I hope Gao County Lieutenant will not blame you. My subordinates admire Duke Zhongwu the most in their lives. I can't help but feel happy and disappointed when I learn that he is a descendant of the Zhongwu family."
Gao Xun's complexion suddenly became much better. Obviously, these words were very helpful to him.
"I forgive your sins. What is your name? What is your position?"
"My subordinate's surname is Cao, his nickname is Tianda, and his courtesy name is Boju. He is appointed as an official, Cao Shi, and assists other officials in their affairs."
"My subordinates are often delighted because their surname is similar to that of Duke Zhongwu."
"Cao Boju, you are a good person."
Gao Xun nodded with some approval in his eyes, while the other officials hesitated to speak.
"Cao Boju stays, and everyone else goes back."
He spoke, and the others did not dare to object. They saluted again, glanced at Duke Cao fiercely, turned around and left.
Cao Boju stood next to Gao Xun with a smile on his face.
Gao Xun lowered his voice and said, "Cao Jun, let me ask you, where does Gao Xun live on the day of his death?"
Cao Boju was stunned, "We won't know this. The Duke of Gao County is very busy. I'm afraid we won't be able to see him even if he is traveling to and from Ye and Cheng'an."
Gao Xun nodded. Not to mention these minor officials, even he himself had a huge difference in status from Gao Changgong. It was not something he could just see.
However, sooner or later there will be a chance.
Gao Xun raised his head, "I heard that the public security here is not good and there are many bandits. Since I was ordered to come here, I must thoroughly investigate the banditry and let the thieves inside and outside know that Gao Zhongwu's nephew has arrived here!!"
"Let me ask you, how many soldiers are there in the city?"
Cao Boju replied: "The Han army has one building, and the Xianbei army has one team."
"Then let me ask you, how many people are in this building?"
A trace of confusion flashed in Cao Boju's eyes, but he still answered honestly: "Five hundred people, one team is a hundred-man team."
"Oh, six hundred people, why are there so few?"
"Mr. Gao, this is already a lot."
"Then let these six hundred people get ready and follow me out of the city to fight against thieves!"
Gao Xun stood up and moved his body.
Cao Boju hurriedly stood up and said, "Mr. Gao, when it comes to attacking the bandits, you must first check around and know the location and movements of the bandits. Besides, if you have to attack the bandits as soon as you arrive, I'm afraid it will be detrimental to you."
"What do you mean?!"
"Don't be angry, Mr. Gao. I am telling the truth because I admire you. You are an official now, not a general. You are going to be promoted and need heads, but you don't need to be an official."
"The performance of an official depends on nothing happening. You are in charge of public security and there is not a single bandit inside or outside the city. That is your performance."
Gao Xun was furious, "I thought you were a good official, but I didn't expect you to be so evil!"
"The temple has appointed me as the county captain, and asked me to kill the thieves and restore the place. How can I despise state affairs because of my personal interests?"
"Get out of here!!"
Cao Boju hurriedly apologized, "Gao Gong, please don't be angry. Your subordinates will never dare to do this again. Besides, even if you want to leave the city, you can't bring 600 people with you."
"There are eight city gates in Cheng'an, all of which need soldiers to guard them. In addition to the city gates, there are also county offices, arsenals, granaries, and stables. Soldiers are needed in many places. How can we take them all away?"
Gao Xun's anger subsided, "Then I will bring five hundred people with me?"
"This city gate alone requires at least two hundred people."
"Then take 300 people with you! Don't say any more and prepare for my expedition!"
Cao Boju's lips trembled a few times.
"only."
The county government office suddenly became chaotic, with both regular and casual officials running around.
Some went to the granary, some to the stables, and some to the arsenal. Throughout the city, officials could be seen galloping around on their horses.
The people hid in their houses one after another and locked the doors.
The already deserted city became even more dead.
Gao Xun, who was wearing armor, mounted a tall war horse at the gate of the county government office, and Cao Boju led the horse for him.
He snatched away the reins and looked at Cao Boju with disdain.
"You don't need to lead the horse. You don't have the country in your heart, and you don't know the principle of loyalty to the emperor. You should change your surname!"
He then looked into the distance with a solemn expression, "I have been waiting for the opportunity to serve the king, and today is the day!"
"Set off!!!"
Chapter completed!