The Happy Life of Small Officials in Northern Song Dynasty

The elegant hall was silent, Yan Biyun and Xiao Xian'er sat and stood as master and servant, one was contemplative and silent, the other looked angry and wanted to speak but stopped.

"It seems that Su Jin's errand will not go well, we are too careless." Yan Biyun broke the silence and said softly.

"Miss, what should we do now? That Long really got involved with the chamber of commerce, I'm afraid it's going to spoil Mr. Su's affairs, miss, please think of a way." Xiao Xian'er's anxious mood was beyond words.

"Don't panic, don't mess up your own position, everything is in speculation, and we can't make a conclusion yet, but...we have to prepare for the worst." Yan Biyun frowned and looked at the candle.

"According to the little maid, we might as well find people to transport the grain to Yangzhou by water. Although it is a bit troublesome, it is better than waiting for others to play tricks. Mr. Su is still waiting for this batch of grain in Yangzhou City. In a hurry."

"Stupid, do you think this grain is easy to transport? The imperial court has banned the private transportation of grain, and this batch of grain Su Jin has long been donated. Now except for Long Zhen, I am afraid that even Luzhou City cannot be transported out; The situation on the border is like a fire, if something goes wrong in our hands, it will not harm Su Jin and Uncle."

"Then can't we just sit and wait?"

"Of course you can't just wait. You should go to the Su family immediately and inform the Su family of this matter. In addition, we must step up to urge Long Zhen. Tomorrow morning, you will call shopkeeper Wang and order him to arrange manpower to hire a cart to prepare for the accident. Long Zhen used this to delay the shipment of food, and Su Jin will send someone to inform him immediately when the situation becomes clearer, and he cannot be allowed to wait in Yangzhou."

"My maidservant will do it right away. I hope the Bodhisattva will bless you. All these worries are unnecessary." Xiao Xianer bowed three times with her palms together devoutly.

Yan Biyun smiled and said: "Let's take care of it on our own. The Bodhisattva is too busy and has to take care of the affairs of the world. I'm afraid it's too late to help us; go, put on more clothes, I can't explain to some people when I'm frozen."

Xiao Xian'er lowered her head, her eyes were red and she said: "Miss, please don't say such things, the heart of this little servant can be seen in the sun and the moon, if I have the slightest intention to deceive the master, I will never be reborn forever."

Yan Biyun hurriedly got up and put his arms around her shoulders and said: "What kind of talk is this, bah bah bah, childish talk! It's just joking with you, we'll talk about it later, this is not the time to talk about it."

Xiao Xianer nodded, was blessed, bowed her head and went away; Yan Biyun sighed, looked at the empty room, suddenly closed her eyes and folded her hands together and bowed to the sky three times like Xiao Xianer: "I beg the Bodhisattva to bless..."

……

Upstairs in Zuixian, Vice President Liu's strategy has been unanimously approved, and the word 'bandit' has already explained everything. It is no secret that Bagong Mountain is plagued by bandits. The army carried out encirclement and suppression, but they all returned in defeat, which actually increased the arrogance of the bandits. Once the officers and soldiers retreated, the bandits became more rampant.

Some people in the Luzhou Chamber of Commerce also suffered a big loss. On the eighth day of this month, the caravan of Lang Shaodong in the Chamber of Commerce was looted by bandits. Shout chest pain.

Chairman Liu's strategy is an extremely vicious one. According to his proposal, once the delay can no longer be delayed, Long Zhen's food team will release the news as soon as they set off. Yan is simply a big piece of fat; the world is short of food, and the bandits are also short of food. At such a time, it is more beneficial to rob gold, silver and treasures, but not to rob food. Under such temptation, the bandits do not May not be tempted.

But this strategy also has difficulties, and the difficulty is not small; how to convince the bandits that the news is true and not a trap of encirclement and suppression is the first problem; Although there were hundreds of bandits, how could they be the opponents of the bodyguard Sima Jun? Even if they knew it was a big piece of fat, whether the bandits had the guts to eat it was another key.

Other minor details, such as the fact that the bandit's nest is nearly a hundred miles away from the official road, and there is no reasonable place to hide and ambush along the way, are secondary. As long as the previous two problems are solved, everything will not be a problem.

Tang Jiyuan regretted slaughtering Heiqi with a scarred face. Heiqi was born as a bandit. Even after being recruited by him for so many years, he has never stopped contacting some small gangsters in Xiaoju Mountain Forest. Give them the news so that they can rob.

Tang Jiyuan turned a blind eye to all this. The robbers were small merchants, and the goods were not enough.

Tang Jiyuan has always tolerated Hei Qi's behavior, because in his mind, small merchants will naturally have to keep beating, the more unsafe they are, the more they will unite around him, such as shipping goods, as long as they are with the Tang family When the convoy is together, nothing will happen, and a greater dependence on the chamber of commerce has been formed invisibly. Commanding them is as flexible as an arm's length.

If Hei Qi was there, the gangsters would definitely believe the news he revealed, but it's a pity that he and the other seven people have already been turned into fertilizer and rotted into mud under the ginkgo tree in the backyard.

Just when Tang Jiyuan and Little Zhuge Chairman Liu were frowning, Chairman Huang, who had never had a good idea, suddenly came up with a good idea like a god, which made the eyes of Tang Jiyuan and Chairman Liu almost pop Out of his eyes, it seems that no one should be underestimated. You think he is a stupid pig, but he can speak human words at critical moments. Doesn't this scare people half to death?

"How to convince the bandits is indeed a difficult problem, but it is not difficult to solve." President Tang said.

"Don't tell me, if you just send someone to Bagong Mountain to deliver a message, they will trust us, unless...unless..." Tang Jiyuan wanted to say viciously, 'unless the bandits have the same brains as you. ', but I still held back my words.

President Huang is used to being teased, even if he heard the meaning of the words, he didn't take it seriously, he just said: "Listen to me, in case it is useful, the three cobblers are the best Zhuge Liang."

Tang Jiyuan tilted his head with interest and said, "Tell me, anyway, I can't think of any good tricks for a while." That means, just treat us as if you were telling a joke to change our minds.

Chairman Liu never insulted Chairman Huang face to face, so he naturally had no objection at this moment, stroking his beard and smiling without saying a word.

"This is what this old man thinks. To convince the bandits, it must not be done by just sending someone a letter, but to make them feel that the news is absolutely true."

"It's...reasonable!" Tang Jiyuan said sarcastically, "However, it's like saying nothing."

President Huang didn't take it seriously, and continued: "Nowadays, what the bandits believe most is not the rumors of the people, but the government. Think about it, if we were bandits, we would catch an official who delivered a letter at the foot of the mountain, and the official who happened to be carrying There is an official document, which clearly states that on a certain day in a certain month, 50 shi of relief food needed by a certain state has been dispatched, and if a certain state is asked to send troops to respond, what will the bandits think when they see this?"

Tang Jiyuan and President Liu opened their mouths so much that they could see the pituitary gland in their throats. They couldn't close their eyes for a while, staring at Huang Huichang's plump, white, sweaty face without blinking.

President Huang was so stared at that he got goosebumps all over his body, and he said aggrievedly: "If it's not good, it's not good, you just pretend that I didn't say anything, why bother to look at this old man so cannibalistically, wouldn't it be okay if the old man didn't say anything?"

Tang Jiyuan slapped Huichang Huang's thick arm, making him stagger and almost fall to the ground.

"Old Huang, it really makes people look at him with admiration. This is a brilliant plan."

Tang Jiyuan rubbed his arms and said, "Can it work?"

"You call Lao Liu, this little Zhuge, and talk about it." Tang Jiyuan laughed from ear to ear.

President Huang looked at President Liu, and President Liu smiled and said: "It's a good strategy, and with a little thought, it will definitely work."

Tang Jiyuan said: "Consider? How to ponder?"

Chairman Liu said: "The gangsters are suspicious, especially after they were attacked some time ago, it is even more difficult to get the bait. If they get the news, they will not believe it all. As long as we send people to rush to Luzhou from the other side, pretend to be there to rush The difference in food is even more credible."

Tang Jiyuan clapped his palms and smiled, "Seconds, seconds, really seconds."

President Liu said: "The beauty is not limited to this point, but in the letter, the number of escort officers and soldiers is reduced by half, and two hundred becomes one hundred, so the bandits will be even more fearless. I think this matter needs to be helped by the master of the government." That’s fine, the tolerance must be real, the letter must be written by an adult, the seal must be the real Luzhou government seal, and all flaws must not be overlooked, so are you afraid that they will not take the bait?"

Tang Jiyuan smiled and said, "How can there be a cat that doesn't eat fishy fish?"

President Liu said: "The rest is the last step. How can these bandits take away the food? If they don't take it away, they will be beaten up by Long Zhenren. Su Jinping got the credit for the banditry instead."

Tang Jiyuan said: "That's true, do you have a clever plan?"

Chairman Liu said with a smile: "Is Xiao Zhuge's name called for nothing? All this must fall on that commander Long who is having a good time."

Tang Jiyuan raised his finger and said: "Old Liu is Lao Liu, without you everything will go away."

President Huang rolled his eyes and said, "This plan is the old man's idea, okay? I'll give Lao Liu all the credit."

Tang Jiyuan laughed and said, "That's right, and you, Huang, we are three fences and three heroes."

President Huang laughed happily, licking his lips and said, "It's a pity that the 50 shi of grain has been fed to wolves."

Tang Jiyuan sneered and said: "Do you think this gang of bandits is so free and easy? There was no oil and water in the past, so the siege was so careless. Knowing that there are 50 shi of grain in the bandit's nest, will our prefect take the opportunity to gather the country and the village? Soldiers going to grab this piece of fat? Even if you fight hard, you still have to fight for it. What the bandits get is not food, but a reminder."

Chairman Huang suddenly realized, and laughed; the three of them discussed the details in low voices, and discussed endlessly. Under the candlelight, three black shadows were reflected on the wooden wall of the box, stretching and shrinking. Like a ghost.