Chapter 493 The Court's Lifeline
Seeing that the thin old man didn't answer, the sturdy young man continued to mutter: Really, it makes us squat under the bridge every day. The third young master is happy, he must be very happy hugging Madam Hulan.
The thin old man also sighed and said: What does the young man know? He has lived to an old age and has never heard of such a high-ranking official who actually lives in the village to find ways to increase the income of the common people.
The young man said it was of no use, he just came out to have fun for his wife.
The old man shook his head and said not to slander the superiors casually. He didn't understand that the council held by Huaxi Village alone was very useful. If the affairs of the village were really decided by the council, the equality of all people that the third young master talked about would be visible and tangible. At present, in the countryside, it is almost the one person who has the final say.
All of them are responsible for collecting grain, all of them are responsible for collecting taxes and donations, all of them are responsible for being the best in the world, and they are the real local emperors. The Third Young Master has found the key to governing our court, and he wants to tame the countryside, which is great.
The old man looked at the dark world outside and lowered his voice, muttering to himself that life in the countryside was hard.
He suddenly heard the sound of an arrow breaking through the air coming from the direction of the right path, and he grabbed the strong man and shut his mouth.
This was a warning signal from their teammates on duty, and the two men immediately became alert and observed their surroundings.
In the middle of the night, in the courtyard at the north entrance of Wenjiachang, west of Huaxi Village, a night walker flew into the dark room in the corner of the west wall and reported in a hoarse voice: "Butler, Huaxi has suddenly increased the number of sentries and secret sentries, and our brothers almost failed. Have we been exposed?"
A strong male voice said in the dark room: "It's impossible. We have only been here for a few days. How could we be exposed?" The three important officials from Jinguan City must have come to Huaxi Village for inspection. The Ministry of Justice has strengthened its vigilance. Aren't Meng Gong and Zhao Yulin still in the village?
The hoarse man was worried that if their plan was not implemented too soon, something would go wrong, and if it was delayed for too long, they would be caught by Shunfengsi.
The muscular man said how could he act rashly when the situation was unclear?
Just like today, there was such a big commotion in Huaxi Village that they shouldn’t have arranged a night visit. Why didn’t they listen to the instructions?
It is best to be careful.
The hoarse man thought that the strong man was indecisive and missed the golden period of carrying out the mission. He was unhappy and left immediately after saying goodbye.
These were secret agents of the Mongol Empire in action, actually Hubili's secret guards.
However, Hubili's eldest brother Mengge infiltrated the system and asked them to kill Zhao Yulin regardless of the consequences.
The hoarse man was bribed by his superior sent by Da Meng Ge and has completely sided with Da Meng Ge, determined to carry out the task of assassinating Zhao Yulin.
The strong man was still hesitating.
Hubili's main task for him was to protect Hulan and collect valuable intelligence. The two disagreed when executing the plan, so their efficiency was definitely different.
At daybreak, Zhao Yulin got up and went to the yard to stretch his muscles. Meng Gong had already been practicing martial arts.
Lao Meng told him that he also wrote a letter to Lu Youpeng in Xuzhou, asking the master of Guigu in Cuiping Mountain to get him a copy of Guan Erye's Green Dragon Crescent Blade to play with.
Damn, what? It must be made of 80 kilograms of fine iron.
Zhao Yulin was shocked and distressed. How many fewer spring boosters would have to be made?
He admired the general's heroism silently. Guan Erye's sword weighed eighty kilograms, but in Meng Gong's hands it was as easy as pie, and he played with it like crazy.
Meng Gong laughed heartily and told him happily that Huaxi Village was great. He felt that breathing was much easier living here and he even heard the croaking of frogs last night.
He said: It's time to sow seeds now. As they talked, the two of them started to practice sparring.
In Jinan Prefecture, Shandong Province, Han Army leader Li Quan came to the bank of the Yellow River early in the morning to look at the river. The turbid river water from upstream was rushing in, and the ancient dry riverbed had been submerged and was becoming wider and wider.
Li Quan was originally an outstanding anti-Mongol peasant army leader, who was forced to surrender to the Mongol army by the officials of the previous dynasty. Standing on the shore and watching the river rushing forward, he wondered in his heart, should he surrender to the new Song again?
This man had been fighting for many years and was already very old. He began to sigh that there was a master in the Shenwei Army who only needed to repair the Cunjin Dike to annex his Shandong to the New Song.
It also completely changed the direction of the river and returned to its original course in the northeast. This year, Kaifeng, Shangqiu and Xuzhou will have a lot more fertile land.
His eldest son Li Tan said: "There is more to it than that. They did not seal the Cunjin Dike. There is still water in the main channel , and ships can sail. All the Cao Gang branches along the canal have joined the Shenwei Army, and their business is booming. Chen Yi Shao and Wu Gu Feng are sold to the seaside in the bay."
His first wife, Madam Yang, said: What's wrong with this? Aren't you two father and son so happy holding the jar of wine? Then she said: Let's go back. The river breeze is cool.
Madam Yang came from a wealthy family and was also a heroine who was both civil and military. During this period, she had read many newspaper articles from Kaifeng Prefecture and admired the New Song Dynasty's unconventional employment system. She also secretly praised Zhao Yulin's wife Chen Chen for her ability. Not only was she able to govern the place well, but her writing was also quite sharp. In one article, she cursed the northern barbarians sharply and refreshingly without using a single dirty word, which was very satisfying.
Li Quan waved his hand, pointed at the river, and instructed Li Tan, who had grown up: The river goes all the way to the northeast, and it is inevitable that it will cut off Hebei. So, take care of the ferry crossings along the coast.
Li Tan immediately agreed with a "yes, yes", and the family went down the embankment and walked back.
The man had just arrived home when the steward went to report: Prince Hubili's tax collection documents had arrived again, and he ordered them to be collected and handed in immediately.
Madam Yang took the document and read it, and said angrily: "After years of fighting, we have lost a large area in the southwest. We still have to pay taxes according to last year's amount. Where can we get it?" She reported to Prince Hu that there was no way. Even gods have trouble in February and March. Let the people take a breath and pay it in the second half of the year when all the taxes are collected.
After the steward left, Li Quan asked his wife worriedly: If we refuse to pay it, will Da Mengge and Hubili think that Shandong is going to rebel?
Mengge is a ruthless guy who has no humanity and can do anything.
Madam Yang said with a frosty face: The people of Shandong have been living in poverty for a long time, and they are all supported by our reputation. If the people are forced to rebel, we will have nowhere to live and we will die anyway. It is better for us to hold off the northern barbarians and leave a name for ourselves.
Li Quan changed his mind and decided to give it a try. He ordered his subordinates to spread the news that the Mongol Empire was demanding tax collection and tell the people that he and his wife were begging for an extension of the deadline.
In Zhending Prefecture, Hebei Province, Da Mengge laughed after receiving the official document from Li Quan of Jinan Prefecture reporting that taxes were difficult to collect and the people were suffering due to the ravages of war. He kept calling out that this thief was cunning, cunning, and deserved to die.
Mengge ordered Hu Bili to send a special envoy to Jinan Prefecture to express the empire's comfort and concern for its subjects. Not only would the empire not collect taxes, but it would also announce that the taxes of the people of Shandong would be reduced by 30% and would be collected again at the end of the year.
At the same time, recruitment will be launched throughout Shandong, with a limit of 10,000 soldiers to be recruited. Anyone who voluntarily applies will not have to pay taxes from their family, including those owed for the next three years and those owed in the past.
After listening to this, Hubili exclaimed: "Great, that's great."
After his younger brother Xu Liewu took away 50,000 soldiers last year, the surrounding military camps were empty again, so it was a good time to recruit a group of soldiers to fill the military camps.
Only then did Hubili feel that his elder brother was not only brave and strong, but also simple-minded. What he needed most was people, so he immediately made arrangements.
At the Caotang Academy in Chengdu, the Ministry of Personnel of the New Song Dynasty is gathering officials from Liangzhe brought by Shi’s son for training.
Fan Zhong placed Shi's son in Taijiantang, and harshly criticized these last remaining elements, warning them to give up their illusions and start a new life.
Soon after, he praised these people, praising them for being aware of the current situation and returning to the New Song Dynasty in time. He told these old and young people to rest assured that as long as they severed their relationship with the Northern Barbarians and stopped secretly communicating with them, the New Song Dynasty would never pursue the past.
Damn, I just got scolded and then immediately got offered a candied haws to shut me up. It's really like heaven and hell.
The ministers in the hall looked at Fan Zhong on the stage in confusion as he continued his lecture.
Then, Yangjin gave a long speech.
Yang Jin is not only the deputy director of the Central Council of the New Song Dynasty, but also Zhao Yulin's wife. Everyone hopes to hear her promise.
Yangjin did not criticize at all. Instead, like Zhao Feiyan, she emphasized the importance of learning and told them why they should come to study.
How to learn?
After the six-month training period, the academy will take an examination. Only those who pass the examination can be employed as officials. Like all officials of the New Song Dynasty, they are promoted according to the regulations of the Ministry of Personnel.
After talking like this, these people felt at ease.
The New Song Dynasty court really keeps its word and everyone is equal.
They heard it clearly from Zhao Yulin’s wife herself. Not only would he not have to worry about his life or go to jail, but he would also be promoted and appointed like all other officials.
That's enough.
In the evening, King Zhao Feiyan went to Taijian Hall in person to have dinner with the gentlemen.
Zhao Feiyan also drank a cup with Shi's son and told him: Yulin brother is busy with rural reform and cannot leave, but we are all going to Qingcheng Mountain for an outing, and then she and her husband will toast him.
Shi's son immediately expressed his gratitude.
Haha, this is the current king toasting him. He drank a cup tremblingly and immediately asked the maid to fill it up, and then he showed his loyalty to Feiyan and drank it all up again.
This guy hadn't seen Zhao Yulin before, and he felt a little nervous. After hearing Zhao Feiyan's explanation, he felt much more at ease. He drank a full cup of wine in fear and trepidation to toast the King of Feiyan.
The entire Taijian Hall was suddenly filled with hundreds of people, and it became very lively.
In addition to the harmonious atmosphere of today's banquet, the officials of Liangzhe thought that Shi's son had come to support them, and their true natures were immediately revealed. They toasted each other and had a great time, which made Ding Gong frown.
Zhao Yulin was still busy in Huaxi Village outside the city, so how could he know about this scene in Taijian Hall.
