Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 97 0092【Bullying honest people】

"Is this corn?" Xiang Zhixian reached out and grabbed a handful.

Bai Dalang said: "Exactly, the yield per mu is extremely high. Knowing that I am going to the city, Zhu Dalang asked me to bring seeds to the county lord."

Xiang Zhixian thought the corn kernels were pretty, and asked, "How does it taste?"

Bai Dalang said truthfully: "I picked some small grains that are not suitable for seeds, and ground them into powder to cook porridge. Some are... rough, and the taste is not as good as corn porridge or white rice porridge."

"That's the bread of the common people," Xiang Zhixian said with a little disappointment, "let it go, I will let the tenants plant it in the field next year."

If the taste is delicious, Xiangzhi County intends to present it to the emperor.

Since it doesn't taste good, let it go.

"Then... I'm resigning." Bai Dalang couldn't figure it out. Shouldn't he be excited when he learned that the corn yield was high?Zha Xiangzhi County showed a lack of interest.

After bidding farewell to the magistrate, Bai Dalang went to his brother's office.

He expressed his doubts, but Bai Erlang smiled and said: "I wish the leaders of the second-class rebels, as well as the family members of the rebels, have already been escorted to Lizhou. A few days ago, Lizhou and Xingyuan Mansion both issued a commendation."

"So?" Bai Dalang didn't understand.

Bai Erlang was a little speechless, so he could only explain patiently: "With such a reward from above, after the three-year period expires, even if you can't be promoted, you will be transferred to Fuyu County. The elder brother is sending corn now, and it will be planted in Xiangzhi County's working field next year. Gentlemen We followed suit in the next year, and before it was really popularized, Xiangzhi County has already been transferred away."

Bai Dalang finally understood: "If the county magistrate vigorously promotes the planting of corn, it is tantamount to making achievements for the next generation, and he will not get anything by himself."

Bai Erlang nodded and said, "That's it. He will definitely plant corn, but his real intention is to take the seeds to the next place of work."

Bai Dalang said contemptuously: "There is good food and there are not many varieties. God can't see it. He will be struck by lightning."

After chatting for a while, Bai Dalang left the county office.

He was greeted by government officials along the way, he was still so snobbish, he only gave good looks to the high-level officials, and didn't bother to look at the low-level officials.

Just like the first time they met, Zhu Ming took the initiative to greet him, but Bai Dalang didn't even bother to respond.

Character flaws that cannot be corrected.

He Tiesi met him and personally sent Bai Dalang to the door.

After returning, He Tiesi said to his subordinates: "Call all the Tiesi to discuss the matter."

Not long after, the six case posts got together.

He Tiesi took out the roster of archers: "The autumn grain has not been requisitioned yet, should I go to Yaqian to urge it?"

Hu Tiesi smiled and said: "The archers recruited in the previous round are suitable for tax collection. They have prestige in killing bandits."

He Tiesi said: "We can't do too much at once, that would be too obvious, we have plenty of time to take our time."

"Five?" Hu Tiesi asked.

"Five is too many, three is just right," He Tiesi said.

Wang Tiesi had a sinister smile on his face: "These three people have to be scattered in various villages, and they cannot be allowed to collude in private to make trouble."

Hu Tiesi didn't pretend anymore: "These archers received a lot of rewards at the beginning, and the higher the position, the more they received, so the money in their hands must be knocked out."

Wang Tiesi said: "You can't choose someone with too high a position. The governors and deputy governors can't move."

He Tiesi said: "Don't move the prodigal son, maybe you will be forced to desperately."

Hu Tiesi said: "We must send soap officials to keep an eye on them at all times to prevent them from escaping with money!"

Yuan Tiesi said: "How can there be such trouble? Just take the money away."

Wang Tiesi said: "Didn't the county lord keep two teams of archers? They are the remaining miscellaneous soldiers selected by Zhu Ming. They escorted Xiabai Village's goods back to the city in advance, and failed to receive the reward for attacking Heifengzhai."

Hu Tiesi said: "Yes, yes, yes, these archers did not receive enough money, and they are quite resentful in their hearts. They are definitely willing to cooperate with us."

"..."

The six case posts are all old officials who are good at playing tricks on the people and know how to do such immoral things.

After some discussion, a plan is determined.

That evening, He Tiesi invited the two archer captains to dinner.

Although there are only 22 standing archers left in the county, their positions are still there, one is the chief and one is the deputy.

"Li Dutou, Zhang Dutou, the two of you please." He Tiesi smiled.

"Tips first please."

The two were so flattered that they even nodded there.

Although the post of county lieutenant is vacant, they take orders from the county magistrate.But the magistrates are outsiders, and the stickers last longer, and they know what to do.

The dishes are very rich, one roast chicken, two plates of fried meat, and one plate of vegetables.

"Come on, let me toast to both of you first." He Tiesi smiled and raised his glass.

"Don't dare." The two stood up quickly.

After drinking more than ten cups of rice wine, He Tiesi said: "The two of you followed Zhu Dutou, did you get a lot of rewards back then?"

Li Dutou's name was Li Tian, ​​and he thought the name was unpleasant, so he asked someone to change it to Li Maotian a while ago.He shook his head and sighed: "I can't stand the rules, I didn't sign up to be a soldier. When I captured the house outside the little white member, I was sent to escort the goods back to the city. I didn't get a single penny from the reward in Heifengzhai. "

Zhang Du's name was Zhang Fu, and he ate the roast chicken and said, "I don't have that life either. This magistrate Xiang is a miser, so he only gave reward money at the beginning, and we won't give half of it when it's used up."

He Tiesi smiled and said, "Now there is a profitable business, I wonder if the two of you are willing to do it."

"Please tell me the way." Li Maotian said hastily.

He Tiesi took out the list of [-] shooters: "Two, please take a look."

The two shook their heads in unison, expressing that they could not read.

He Tiesi said: "Zhu Dutou's archers back then, are there any such people? They get a lot of rewards, and they are very honest."

"Yes," Zhang Fu said, "there is a man named Deng Chun, who is tall and strong, but also very timid. But he is lucky, Fang Kong's eyes are in the general election, and he was elected as the deputy head of the capital." Later, when Zhu Dutou trained soldiers, Deng Chun was also highly appreciated for his obedience. I heard people say that when the officers and soldiers captured Heifeng Village, Deng Chun received a reward of one hundred coins!"

He Tiesi asked again: "What is Deng Chun's background?"

Zhang Fu said with a smile: "No background, just a farmer. I know him and lives in the village next door to me. This guy's family is a fifth-class household. He can eat very well since he was a child, and he has made his family poor. Farming is also the same. A good hand, as long as he is fed enough, he can do the work of farming cattle. Usually he doesn’t like to talk, he only knows how to work stupidly, the village calls him Big Deng, and later simply calls him Deng Daniu.”

"Really timid?" He Tiesi asked.

Zhang Fu said: "When this guy was a few years old, he injured the grandson of Yu Yuan, and was almost tied up and beaten to death by his parents. Later, he became timid and dared not talk to others. Children threw stones at him. , he just smirked, never daring to fight with others."

"This is the person!"

He Tiesi patted the table and laughed, "Choose two more like this."

Li Maotian recalled carefully: "I remember that there was a ten general who was also not talkative. He was not tall, but he was very strong. Moreover, he was very stupid. When practicing mandarin duck formation, this guy often made mistakes and was punished. Yelling, pulling up the trousers and practicing again, practicing practicing and eating the army stick. At the end of the beating, even Na Zhu Du was too embarrassed to punish him again."

"What's your name?" He Tiesi asked.

Li Maotian scratched his head and said, "I can't remember his name, but his nickname is Shishi."

Zhang Fu said: "I also remember that his name is Shitou. It seems that his surname is Shi. Shi or something..."

He Tiesi looked through the list of archers, found two surnamed Shi, and asked, "Shi Biao, Shi Ying, which one is he?"

Li Maotian said: "Shi Ying is on duty under me, it should be this Shi Biao."

"It's called Shi Biao, I just remembered." Zhang Fu answered.

When asked if there were any such honest people, Li Maotian and Zhang Fu couldn't remember clearly, so He Tiesi ticked off a random one on the archer roster.

These three people were all designated as Yaqian messengers by the county government, responsible for collecting autumn grain in their respective villages.

Moreover, the household status is not correct. Only the third-class households and above can it be the turn of the Yaqian.Since the three of them received a large reward, they should raise their household status, and the taxes they should pay should also increase accordingly.

He Tiesi said: "Both of you are leaders, each of you should keep an eye on the other, and don't let Deng Chun and Shi Biao escape. If the tax collection is not complete, they will be arrested and exiled according to the law, and their family property should also be confiscated. At that time, there will be two The benefit of the bit."

"Hey, I'm following He Tiesi's orders."

Li Maotian had no psychological burden for betraying his former comrades-in-arms.He was already quick-witted, and he didn't even want to be a soldier. He only admired Zhu Ming, Zhang Guangdao and Chen Ziyi, and had no friendship with the other archers.

……

West of the city, Yujia'ao Village.

Yu Dayuan, who wanted to make things difficult for Zhu Ming with poetry, was studying hard at home.

Suddenly hearing the noise outside, he called his servant to ask, and it turned out that an official from the county government had entered the village.

Yu Dayuan put down his brush and went out, but saw his grandfather, father and elder brother had come outside to watch the fun.

"Sir, the county has ordered Deng Chun's Yaqian messenger!" A servant rushed over to report.

Old officer Yu sneered: "I knew that the subordinate officials in the county government would never let it go. Archers made a big disturbance in the county government, but they lost all face."

Yu Dayuan said disdainfully: "Sinister villain, greedy beetle!"

A few hundred steps away is Zhu Guoxiang's cheap old husband's house.

Meng Zhao, a poor scholar, is saying goodbye to his mentor.

"Sir, I want to bring my wife and children to Daming Village to vote for Zhu Xiucai. I am here to say goodbye today." Meng Zhao held his disciples to bow down.

Shen Huai stroked his white beard and said with a smile: "My grandson is a man who does great things, and it's a blessing if you go. From now on, follow success and be a good student. You can let the imperial examination go."

Meng Zhao said: "I know that within six years, I will never take the imperial examination again."

Shen Huai shook his head and sighed: "You still haven't given up, Jinshi is not so easy to take the exam."

After the master and apprentice chatted, Meng Zhao bid farewell and left.

Before he had gone far, he saw a group of subordinate officials coming to kill him in a hurry.

Li Maotian, the leader, asked, "Where is Deng Chun's house?"

"Which Deng Chun?" Meng Zhao asked back.

Li Maotian said, "It's Mr. Deng."

Meng Zhao subconsciously turned around and pointed the way: "It's at the foot of the mountain over there."

"Dangdangdang!"

Deng Chun is carving a tombstone at home. This is an ancestral handicraft. Although he doesn't know a few big characters, he can carve the inscription according to the words.

In addition to engraving steles, he can also do other masonry work.

It's a pity that there are not many orders in the countryside, so I can only earn extra money occasionally, and mainly rely on farming for a living.

Deng Chun has been very prosperous in recent months. As the archer's deputy capital, he received a full one hundred guan reward.The money was managed by my father. Not only did he pay off the debts owed by Yu Yuan’s family, he bought a calf, and he also bought a few acres of thin land from his neighbors during the summer grain collection.

"Big guy, big guy, it's not good, the official messenger is going to catch you!" A friend with a good relationship rushed forward to report the news.

Not long after, Deng Chun's parents, wife, younger brother, and sister-in-law also rushed back from the field in a panic.

Li Maotian had already rushed to the yard, staring at Deng Chun and asking, "Which one is Deng Chun?"

Deng Chun stood up holding the hammer: "I...I am."

Li Maotian shouted: "Take out your family post!"

Deng Chun's father was so frightened that his body trembled, he hurried back to the house and took out his household registration booklet.

Li Maotian was illiterate at all, so he glanced at the household posts and said, "Where is the fifth-class household? The Deng family concealed property and falsely reported households, etc., let me go in and search!"

A group of officials rushed into the house, scaring the child into crying.

They rummaged through boxes and cabinets, and found out the deed to buy Tian Bai, and Deng Chun's remaining bounty.

Li Maotian pointed at the money cabinet and yelled angrily: "There are seventy or eighty strings here, and with the addition of houses and fields, third-class households can also be ranked..."

Deng Chun's father knelt down and begged: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have paid off the debts of Yu Yuanwai, and bought a calf and a few acres of land. There are only fifty or so guan left in my family. How can there be [-] or [-] guan?"

"Fifty or so, that can be counted as a third-class household," Li Maotian shouted, "Bring the money back to the county government, and wait for Deng Chun to pay the tax amount before returning his family's money."

Strings of iron money were put into baskets and carried away. The members of the Deng family rushed to stop them, but were kicked and knocked down by several officials.

Standing in front of the unfinished tombstone, Deng Chun didn't say a word, but held the hammer tightly in his right hand.

"Do you still want to resist the law?"

Li Maotian walked over, feeling guilty suddenly, because Deng Chun was too tall, a full head taller than him.

"Bring the hammer!" Li Maotian snorted.

Deng Chun had an impulse at this moment, he wanted to pick up the hammer and smash the bastard in front of him until his head exploded.

Li Maotian shouted again: "Bring the hammer!"

Deng Chun finally said the first sentence: "When attacking Heifengzhai, I carried the door panel in front. Zhu Dutou and Chen Dutou both like me."

"Hand over the hammer!" Li Maotian continued to roar.

Ever since he injured Yu Dayuan when he was young, Deng Chun's character has changed.He didn't dare to fight with others, dare not quarrel with others, or even dare to talk to others, and his behavior became more and more dull.

But in his heart, everything is clear.

He... can't kill!
Handing over the hammer in his hand, Deng Chun turned around without saying a word, and helped his parents who were knocked down to the ground.

Only then was Li Maotian completely relieved, and his attitude became even more arrogant: "Since you have been promoted to the third-class household, you should go to the front of the Yamen. The autumn grain at Yujia'ao will be urged by you this year. After collecting the grain and tax, you will send it away." Return the money to you. If you don’t collect all the money, you’ll have to send it to the army! Let’s go!”

When Zao Li left, he not only carried away the money, but also took away the calf, Deng's hoes, sickles, hatchets, hammers and drills.

Deng Chun stood in the yard, staring at the unfinished tombstone in a daze.

(PS: It may not be clear that the corn and sweet potatoes are handed over to the tenants for planting. After harvesting, the corn and sweet potatoes belong to Zhu's father and son, and then compensate the tenants for the corresponding grain, and leave a small amount of seeds for the tenants.)
(End of this chapter)