Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 25 Xi'an Zuowei Part 1
After several people chatted, Sun Zhi'an came in and asked for instructions on how to arrange a personal room. Sun Chuanting pondered for a while and said: "My brother Zhongfang and I each live in a main room, and the other one is lived by two good brothers Cui and Xie. The servants and guards you brought should be enough for you to stay here.”

Zhuang Yuanzhou opened his mouth and said: "Brother Baigu, let's establish a rule here. From now on, we will address each other as brothers in private, but in other places, we must address adults to avoid being underestimated by outsiders!"

Cui and Xie nodded in agreement, and Sun Chuanting considered that this was the proper intention, so he did not refuse.

Zhuang Yuanzhou continued: "Brother Baigu has just arrived in Shaanxi, although he has done his homework beforehand, many things still need to be seen to believe. My brother thinks we should go out separately and investigate openly and secretly, so as to confirm that Brother Baigu's first fire Where to!"

Sun Chuanting said: "Before I leave, the Holy Majesty ordered me to use the Tuntian Guards to set up a prestige first. I think we should start from this aspect and start an investigation. Later, Sun Zhian will take my warrant to go to the Jinyiwei Qianhu Office in Shanxi, and ask the Jinyiwei Qianhu to come forward." Come see me, they may have received orders from the Commander of Jinyiwei to cooperate with my actions in Shaanxi!"

Zhuang Yuanzhou and the others were overjoyed. With the cooperation of Jin Yiwei, the court's eyes and ears, many difficult problems would be solved easily.Sun Zhian took the order to leave, and Sun Chuanting and others continued to discuss some details.

The Jinyiwei Thousand Household Office is not far from the governor's yamen. Not long after, Sun Zhian brought a thin man in his thirties wearing a flying fish suit to the courtyard.Sun Zhi'an solemnly invited him to enter, and this Jinyiwei Qianhu came to the door and called out loudly: "Jinyiwei Shanxi Qianhu Office Qianhu Li Guoliang sees the governor!"

Sun Chuanting raised his voice to let him in, Li Guoliang stepped into the room, and bowed to Sun Chuanting, who was wearing a red official uniform, and Sun Chuanting gently asked him to avoid the ceremony. Additional room.

Sun Chuanting said: "When I left Beijing, the Holy Majesty had something to say. Ask Gui Qianhu to cooperate with me. I wonder if Li Qianhu can receive the order?"

Li Guoliang bowed and replied: "I have received the order from Commander Luo, and I will obey the orders of the Governor!"

Sun Chuanting smiled and said: "I can't talk about orders. Jinyiwei is the emperor's own army, and I have no right to give you orders. I was ordered by the emperor to govern Shaanxi, and I wanted to do something to make the Holy One feel at ease. But Shaanxi is chaotic and complicated. I don't know much about the local situation, so I still need Li Qianhu's help in some matters, and I will definitely report Li Qianhu's achievements to the Holy One on the day of success, and I will never be greedy for Li Qianhu's achievements!"

Li Guoliang was overjoyed when he heard the words, and cupped his hands and said: "Thank you for your kindness, my lord. I have been in Shaanxi for five years, and I still know a lot about the situation in various parts of Shaanxi. Your lord is a governor appointed by the imperial court, and what you do is also for the sake of the Holy One." And the imperial court, if you ask me, I will tell you everything!"

"Then I would like to ask Li Qianhu to report to me the detailed information of the chief officers of the garrison guards in Shaanxi after he goes back. The main thing is the number of his personal assets, and the fields and shops must be listed in detail. The list of closely related personnel, the number of military households under the jurisdiction, young and strong women and children must be clearly separated, the key point is the detailed information on those who have bad influence among the people, and those who dare to anger the military households under the jurisdiction but dare not speak out!", Sun Chuanting said.

Li Guoliang made a secret, it seemed that the governor was going to take the guard, and this time I don't know which unlucky guy will become the sacrificial flag.This has nothing to do with me. Jinyiwei has never interacted with other guards. As Jinyiwei has been sluggish and slack in the past few years, I have been quite low-key in the past few years since I came to Shaanxi. evil deeds.In the past few years, I have nothing to do, but I have clearly investigated the backgrounds of the chief officials in Shaanxi officialdom, which is just in use.

Li Guoliang nodded in response, said that after returning home, he would tidy up and report to the governor, then he saluted and left.

After Li Guoliang left, several people from Zhuang Yuanzhou came out from the side room, after discussion, they decided to divide into two groups and go down to the folks to investigate in person.

Sun Chuanting and Zhuang Yuanzhou went to Zuowei in Xi'an; Cui Shisheng and Xie Renxing went to Qianwei in Xi'an; both groups dressed up as merchants, and several servants brought by Zhuang Yuanzhou's home followed as assistants pushing goods.After the plan was completed, Sun Chuanting sent Sun Zhi'an to the chief envoy to inform Zhu Yongyou that the governor was not feeling well and had not seen any foreign guests.

Xi'an Zuowei is located in the northwest of Xi'an Fucheng, bordering Xianyang County.

Sun Chuanting and Zhuang Yuanzhou were both dressed as merchants. Sun Zhian and Sun Fugui followed with a horse and horse full of sundries such as iron pans, shovels, cloth, and thread ends. The group came to Xi'an Zuowei's jurisdiction.

It was the autumn harvest season in September, and the fields beside the road were full of people busy harvesting.

Sun Chuanting observed carefully and found that although the young and strong military households working in the fields were generally tall, they were emaciated.

An old man in his fifties who looked very old was drinking water and resting on the edge of the field. Sun Chuanting walked up to him, asking for a bowl of water on the pretext of being thirsty on the way, and the two chatted.

Sun Chuanting asked: "Old man, you are being polite, what is your surname? Has the harvest been good this year?"

The old man stared at a few young men working in the field not far away, and replied: "The old man's surname is Li, God is gracious, we have had a few torrential rains here this summer, and the harvest this autumn is much more than in previous years."

Sun Chuanting continued to ask: "How many people are there in the old man's family? How many acres are the fields divided? With this year's harvest, your family will be able to live a good life, right?"

The old man squinted at him and said, "The old man's three sons, here, they are the working boys. They are at the age when they can eat. This year's harvest is good. It would be nice if the boys can eat a few full meals." , how can there be any sub-divided land, the land here belongs to Commander-in-Chief!"

Sun Chuanting said with a smile: "Old man, don't want to amuse us. I am a merchant. I have traveled all over the year and met all kinds of people. I can be regarded as a knowledgeable person. I know that the Taizu established a guard at the beginning, but for everyone. The households, the military and the households have left enough to share the land, so please don’t lie to me!”

At this time, the sons of the old man working in the field saw his father chatting with outsiders, so they also put down their working belongings and surrounded them.One of the young men with thick brows, big eyes, thick hands and feet picked up a big bowl and gulped down the water in one go, then wiped the corner of his mouth and said, "Master Hongwu planned well at the beginning, but now this black-hearted official has long regarded his old man's words as fart." Yes! My father and my brothers have worked hard for a year, and they can’t get enough to eat! It’s not just my family, you can ask, how many families in Xi’an Zuowei can have a full meal a year? I’m already 23, I can't even afford a mother-in-law, but these dog officials have round stomachs, bah! I'm looking forward to those rebels coming and killing these dog officials!"

The old man Li raised his hand and wanted to hit him, cursing in his mouth: "You son of a bitch, don't you think your life is too long? Why do you dare to say anything, I will kill you today, so as not to bring trouble to our family!"

The young man with thick hands and feet dodged and hid behind Sun Chuanting, muttering in his mouth: "When you scold me for being a jerk, don't you just scold yourself? Besides, what I said is the truth. This guest official is not a member of the government. I’ve complained a few words, and I’m not allowed to speak!”

The old man Li was really annoyed by this, he turned his head left and right to look for someone, but there was no other guy in the field except the dirt, so he simply took off a straw sandal, jumped around and chased after his son.

Sun Chuanting hurriedly reached out his hand to stop him, and said with a smile: "Old man Li calmed down. This young man is right. I am just a businessman, not a member of the government. Business people pay attention to being kind to others. Besides, I am also a grassroots person, and I have not been seldom treated. People in the government are embarrassing, the old man is still afraid that someone will go to the government to inform the police, and this young man is just talking a few gossips, the old man should not be angry anymore!"

Old man Li stopped panting, and after putting on the straw sandals, he sighed and said, "The old man's mother-in-law died early, and there is no woman to manage the family, and he has not saved much money. The boss is in his twenties and has no money to marry a wife , I blame the old man for his incompetence! If things go on like this, the old Li family is going to be extinct. When I die, how can I have the face to go underground to meet my ancestors! When will this hard life end? I'm sorry Damn it!"

After speaking, the circles of his eyes were red, and a few drops of muddy tears flowed down.

Old man Li's sons couldn't help but feel sad and lowered their heads.

Sun Chuanting sighed in his heart, and said: "Someone just came from Xi'an Mansion, and I heard that the governor Sun Sir who came in the letter is about to recruit troops to wipe out the rebels, and the salary will be provided on a monthly basis. I heard from the people in the governor's yamen. The military households in the guard house are the priority. The adults said that the people in the guard house are loyal to the court. Mr. Li, I see that your sons are all tall and loyal people. Why don't you leave one to support the family and the other two to join the army. You can save the salary and send it back home, and you can also save on rations, so wouldn’t your family’s life be much easier?”

Old man Li was moved after hearing this, and said: "This is a good thing, but I'm afraid that the government will say something nice, and the salary will not be paid much. Although I am a farmer, I also know that it is common for the officers and soldiers to deduct salary. Besides, to be a soldier is to fight, and the rebels in Shaanxi are really powerful, so many officers and soldiers can't beat them. If the swords and guns have no eyes and lose their lives, how can I explain to my mother when I go underground! "

Sun Chuanting said with a smile: "I heard that the governor brought a full amount of money from the capital this time. The master of the governor's yamen also said that Mr. Sun is fair and strict, and the rewards and punishments are clear. The general who led the team was sent by the emperor's own army. , will not deduct military pay at all. To put it bluntly, Mr. Li, your family is in such a situation, instead of being so poor all the time, it is better to let your children go out and fight, maybe they will make military achievements, let alone ask for a wife in the future It is not impossible to have wives and concubines in groups!"

Old man Li was still hesitating, and Boss Li yelled: "Boss, what this guest officer said is true! Instead of us brothers living in vain like this, why don't we go out and gain some money! My second brother and I will join the army. The youngest stays to serve you. If I and the second child die in battle in the future, the youngest will give you a retirement pension, and leave an incense for our Li family. The salary of the second child and I will be sent home by someone! Big, this time I said You have to be the master of everything! At least I and the second child are gone, so you and the youngest can have a few more meals!"

Old man Li looked sad, knowing that his son was bewitched by the businessman's rhetoric, and it was impossible to keep him.He is too aware of the boss's stubborn temper, the temperament of not looking back until he hits the south wall.

After thinking about it in my heart, I turned my heart and said: "When the crops in the field are harvested, you and the second brother will go to Fucheng. If you really tell this guest officer, you two will sign up for the army! Dad is already loess Buried up to the neck, there is not much time left, you two have to remember, listen to Shangguan's words, fight the enemy bravely when you are in the battle, don't lose face to our old Li family, dad is thinking that you two will come back together in the future , but God has the final say on the battle! The youngest stays, and if you two have money, send some back. Dad will marry the youngest and have children. Don’t break the incense of our Li family, dad will be right It's time for the ancestors!"

Boss Li and the second child were very happy to see their father agreeing to join the army.When the youngest heard that he was staying at home, he was very unhappy and muttered in a low voice. Old man Li glared at him, and the youngest immediately didn't dare to mutter anymore.Sun Chuanting saw that the work of the Li family was over, so he bid farewell to the old man Li's family and left.

After walking for more than ten miles, a group of people arrived at the Xi'an Zuowei Station around the time.

The highest officer of Xi'an Zuowei was the Commander of the Guards, under the jurisdiction of ten thousand households, with a total of more than 8000 military households. Among them, there should be [-] officers and soldiers in the registered guards. It is impossible to know the actual number.The Commander of the Guard is a hereditary military officer of the third grade. The current Commander of the Left Guard, Liu Fuguo, is the seventh generation of the hereditary commander and has served for more than ten years.

The guard station is a small town with one horizontal and one vertical streets and no city walls. Most of the houses in the town are owned by military households. They are basically dilapidated and old mud houses, and brick and tile dwellings are rarely seen.In the middle of the town, there is a large-scale building with blue bricks and red tiles, and masonry walls. From the outside, it is not clear how many courtyards are inside, but it occupies a very large area.

After the four of Sun Chuanting entered the town, they saw the house and knew without asking that it was the residence of Commander Liu Fuguo.

Several people found the Weisuo's only inn, and the innkeeper saw that there was a guest coming, and greeted him attentively.Seeing that Sun Zhi'an and Sun Zhi'an were driving the carriage full of goods, they asked the store clerk to help lead the carriage to the backyard, and then unloaded the horses to feed them.

Several people asked for three guest rooms, Sun and Zhuang each had one room, and two guards shared one room.After entering the room, he found that although the interior layout was simple, it was cleaned up very cleanly. Sun Chuanting nodded in satisfaction. Zhuang Yuanzhou asked the shopkeeper to prepare two buckets of bath water.

The reason why Sun Zhian and Sun Zhian didn't ask for bath water was mainly because the merchants were very economical when they were outside. If even the guy who pushed the cart was treated the same as the owner, it would inevitably arouse other people's discussions.

The two of them felt refreshed after taking a bath, and went out of the room to eat at the entrance of the inn. The entrance of the inn is very small, and there are only three small square tables in the so-called hall.It was getting dark, and there was no one in the shop except the shopkeeper.After all, this is not a bustling city, nor is it a place where businessmen must pass through. Today, the four of Sun Chuanting are considered big customers.

The shopkeeper came forward to greet the two to sit down and asked them what they would like to eat.Both Sun and Zhuang came from rich and noble backgrounds, and they are very particular about their diet, but they both have a free and easy personality, knowing that such a small place will not have any good dishes.

Zhuang Yuanzhou ordered the shopkeeper to serve some dishes and a jug of wine, and then ordered the guy pushing the cart in the backyard to deliver the food. The shopkeeper agreed and went to the kitchen.

After a while, a cold dish, three hot dishes, a pot of shochu and two wine glasses were brought up.

Zhuang Yuanzhou picked up the jug and filled it up for Sun Chuanting, then poured it himself, seeing that there was no one around, he raised his glass and said with a smile: "Brother Sun, you and I have had countless banquets over the years, and the environment is beautiful, surrounded by servants, The place where literati and nobles gather, my younger brother never thought that one day I would have a drink with my brother in such a remote place, what a wonderful encounter in life! Come, younger brother, I will toast you!"

Sun Chuanting also raised his wine glass with a smile and said, "It's hard for a brother who loves luxury like this! When you and I become famous, we should compensate my brother with a feast. Come, cheers!"

The two drank it all in one gulp. Although the wine was not good wine, after drinking it, it was like a hot fire that went straight from the throat to the lower abdomen. It's really enjoyable to have a sharp knife in your stomach. Brother Sun, from a family like yours and mine, any kind of wealth and enjoyment is just passing away. Follow my brother to make meritorious deeds, clarify the world, and comfort your lifelong ambition!"

Sun Chuanting picked up the jug and poured wine for the two, and said solemnly: "What my brother said is exactly what I think! When we read the books of sages, we do not covet luxury. The famous words of Zhang Zihou in the previous dynasty are our common ambition. : Establish a heart for the world, establish a life for the people, inherit the knowledge of the past, and bring peace to all generations! In order to realize the dream that the predecessors failed to achieve, why should I, my grandson, cherish this body!"

Zhuang Yuanzhou picked up the wine glass, his expression was excited, his eyes sparkled, and he said: "Little brother would like to be attached to elder brother's tail, at the expense of this body!", and drank it down in one gulp.

(End of this chapter)