Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 525 Raising food and wages today

In the main hall of the government office,

Everyone is still wondering about this matter, thinking that the owner behind it must be extremely mysterious. In the entire area south of Beijing, no one dares to touch the Xingshang Grain Shop.

At this time, in the hall,

suddenly!

A burst of wild laughter rang out, and shopkeeper Si Boqingsi laughed without any pretense, then stood up, bowed to the people around him, saluted, and said,

"Haha, Master Yang, I will tell you even if I don't ask. Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to eat today's banquet, and I won't be able to go back. The owner of the rice shop is none other than the head of Linshan County's grain merchants, the head of the Wang family. Maybe some of you haven’t heard of Wang Dafu, so I’ll tell you about the person behind my boss’s family. He’s a member of the Wang family of the Jiedushi Envoy of the capital city, so I’m sure you are familiar with him.”

As soon as the words are finished,

There was silence in the hall. Even Li Cheng and Lu Ren's expressions were downcast. No way, they were from the Wang family. Wang Dafu was known to everyone in southern Beijing. He was one of the four major figures in southern Beijing. One of the grain merchants was rumored to be a member of the Wang family in the capital. This had always been a speculation. Now that this was confirmed from Si Boqing, all the officials looked extremely ugly.

Just when Li Cheng and others were in a dilemma,

Outside the house,

Qin Yunjiang and others came with troops.

There was a steward waiting there for a long time. When he saw the person coming, he smiled and shouted loudly,

"General Qin is here!"

The servants at the inner gate sent messages inside one after another.

"General Qin has arrived."

As soon as this word comes out,

The hall, which was still a little cold, suddenly seemed to be getting heated again. Even the expressions of the adults had changed, and they no longer looked ugly.

"Everyone, General Qin has arrived. The safety of the city still depends on General Qin, so you should think about it carefully."

The prefect Li Cheng didn't say much. He asked the gentry to think carefully about what to say. Food, grass and salary could not be avoided.

However, all the gentlemen nodded, but did not respond, which made Li Cheng grit his teeth. Only Lu Ren quietly tugged on Li Cheng's sleeve.

"Sir, everything in the treasury is there. If General Qin comes, just give him the key. As for the other things, he needs to go by himself. We have to think about our own options."

"This, this is very appropriate, let's just wait and see."

Li Cheng immediately understood that if those gentry were to push too hard now, he and others might have a hard time in the future. If General Qin had taken it himself, wouldn't there be an excuse and a scapegoat for the two of them? It is better not to help each other.

"General Qin has arrived."

Just as I was thinking about it, I sang as I sang,

Qin Yunjiang came to the hall,

Upon entering the door,

I saw about a dozen tables set up in the hall, with a lot of fine wine and delicacies on them. Not far away, on a high platform, there were actually dancers performing performances. It was extremely luxurious. Everyone sitting there was well-dressed. Their faces are rosy, but the brothers outside are eating gruel, wearing old clothes, and not having enough to eat. In this way, the world is being ruined by these people.

With anger in his heart, his eyes became cold, he glanced around and smiled,

"Haha, okay, it seems that everyone has come, and I don't have much to say. Mr. Li, I am here today to ask for payment for my brothers. I owe a lot of salary over the years. How should I solve it?"

Hearing General Qin's question, the eyes of the people in the hall couldn't help but look at Master Li, the prefect who was sitting in the chair. Li Cheng looked ugly. He wanted to reprimand him for being so disrespectful, but was stopped by his fellow prefect Lu Ren. ,

"General Qin, come on, don't be in a hurry. This matter has been discussed with the magistrate a long time ago. This is the key to the government warehouse. The previous salary is here. The general can check it at any time. Today, in addition to entertaining General Qin, In addition, we are also discussing the matter of food and fodder for the soldiers under General Qin's command, but General Qin is here, so it is better for the general to make his own decision on this matter."

"Yes, it's better to let the general make the decision himself,"

Li Cheng actually agreed, as if the chief official of this place was Qin Yunjiang. Lan Xiao looked at something fishy and wanted to remind him, but Qin Yunjiang didn't care. He was already at the intersection. If he didn't prepare, he would die.

"Okay, then Qin will make the decision himself,"

After finishing speaking, he walked to the main seat,

Looking at the dishes on the table, he picked up a wine cup with a cold face and saluted the gentry around him,

"Today, I am here to raise food, grass and money. I hope you can help me. I will drink this cup of wine first as a token of respect."

After Shu finished speaking, he raised his head and drank it all in one gulp. Then he turned the wine cup upside down, but not a drop of wine fell.

Everyone was a little afraid to look at them, and they were so angry. Just when Li Cheng thought that the gentry who had no money and salt had just behaved the same way and had nothing to lose, Zhao Yucheng, the president of the Fucheng Chamber of Commerce, walked over with a smile and said,

"General, we have to express our righteousness in guarding the city. However, each family has its own hardships to express, so we can only briefly express our feelings. Starting from the old man, a thousand taels of silver tattoo is not a sign of respect."

After speaking, Zhao Yucheng took out a banknote from his sleeve and put it on the table. He pushed it forward. Then, as if it was agreed upon, Vice President Cui Xuanli also took out a banknote from his sleeve. Tickets, put them on the table,

"General, thank you for your hard work. I would like to express my gratitude to Vice President Cui Xuanli by presenting me with a thousand taels."

Immediately afterwards, the people in the hall started,

"My salary is five hundred taels of silver."

"The small one is a hundred taels."

"I'll also give you three hundred taels."

The rising voices among the gentry also caused the expressions of the city officials to change again and again.

Only Qin Yunjiang remained silent, while Lan Xiao took the tray and went over to collect the bills one by one. The bills of ten tables were placed in the trays and brought over. After counting carefully, there were so many people who even paid five thousand in a row. I didn’t even get two cents together, it’s really a big joke.

"You are so generous. You have sent five thousand taels of silver to the beggars. In addition, you have not given me any grain or food."

"What the general said is wrong. The food, grass and salary for raising the troops are all provided by the imperial court, and there are records. If we need to pay for it, then wouldn't it be treason? As for the food and grass that the general asked about, since the general has spoken, I can’t help but say that there is still some food stored in our food store in Fucheng, and I will take it to the general’s barracks tomorrow, what do you think?”

President Zhao was not afraid of them at all. After all, he was the cousin of Master Yu from the county behind him. They were no match for these little soldiers and generals. Qin Yunjiang wanted to have a fit, but Lan Xiao pulled him behind him.

"General, we need to consider the long term."

Qin Yunjiang also knew that he could not take any action at this time. The officials and gentry were all here, and any slight negligence would be trouble for the court.

"In that case, please come back."

"Okay, take your leave!"

In the government office hall,

Although Qin Yunjiang suppressed his anger and did not take action, he also kicked him out without any courtesy, leaving the gentry stunned.

Everyone looked at the food and wine that had not yet been enjoyed, and then they started to drive people away. They all said goodbye and left with unhappy expressions on their faces.

Wait until all the gentry have left,

Qin Yunjiang looked at the magistrate and others standing there who had nothing to do with him, and said,

"Master Li, Master Lu, Master Yang, these silvers and a little bit of food are not even enough for one day. Now, the city is being besieged and it is not a matter of a certain Qin person. If you don't think of a way to intervene, , Qin thought of another way out."

"you,"

"Wait a minute, General Qin, please sit down. We will discuss this matter in the long run. Let's drink some wine and eat some food. I think the general has been here in a hurry. He hasn't eaten yet, so it would be better to eat something first to cushion his stomach."

Several adults tried to persuade each other and then said good words to smooth things over, especially Yang Tongpan, who even tried to persuade everyone.

"Master Magistrate, General Qin, this matter needs to be discussed in detail. The money is okay, but the food cannot be exchanged. We still need the help of the powerful gentry, so we have to find a way to get them to provide food. Where can we go hungry? My stomach is at war.”

"What Mr. Yang said is absolutely true. I have no choice but to do this. This happened today. How could I have imagined that those people are so arrogant and determined to not pull out a cent. If they didn't have a backer behind them, I would have done it long ago. them."

After he finished speaking, he slapped the table with his hand angrily.

Just when several people are in trouble,

Qin Yunjiang picked up the jug, filled it with a cup of wine, held it in his hand and said,

"I was anxious just now. I would like to apologize to you all. I need money and more food, otherwise the city cannot be defended. As for what you all said just now, isn't there some way to do it?"

After saying this, he drank it all in one gulp, which was regarded as apology. The adults were not willing to accept this, so they hurriedly returned the favor and left. After finishing the wine, Magistrate Li gave a wry smile and said,

"General Qin, there is really a way. I just want to see if you dare to do it. You also know that these people have backers behind them. If they are still like this, you and I must not be able to offend you, so I If so, General"

"Master Li has said a way. Let me do this in the future, and it will not embarrass you."

Qin Yunjiang understood Mr. Li's concerns and took the words unceremoniously.

"The general means what he said!"

Fellow acquaintance Lu Ren asked immediately.

"Once a word is spoken, it is hard to follow."

"Okay, General, be happy."

Qin Yunjiang finally said it and agreed, making the prefects look relieved. Li Cheng smiled and came up with the solutions one by one.

"General Qin, it's easy to say this is easy. The general knows that the entire army and the military households have long ceased to exist in name only. Those acres of land and wages were all taken over by the powerful gentry. The general wants an excuse. Let's start with the military household's land. There have been account books over the years, but almost no taxes and grains have been paid to the court. This is one of the reasons. There are also military household quotas that they pretend to be responsible for receiving military pay. You can check the rosters to compare. This is one of the reasons. Second, the third is to check the number of acres of land in their names and whether there is any acquaintance with them. In this way, there will be an excuse for this matter,"

"Yes, general, things are easy to do, but things are difficult to do. The President Zhao just now is the cousin of the governor of the south of Beijing, and the young man named Si Boqing is even more remarkable. He The rice shop he is in charge of is a subordinate of the Wang family, the four major grain merchants in the county. The general should be familiar with it, as he is a distant relative of the Wang family in the capital."

Mr. Lu, who also knew him, also had a somewhat helpless tone. When he talked about the power of it, Yang Tongpian had a wry smile on his face.

"General Qin, these people are the leaders, and the others are also closely related to the county and city. They are so complicated that we really have no way of starting."

Listening to what the three people said, Qin Yunjiang had a cold face and sat there, pouring one glass of wine after another into his mouth without saying a word.

Until the end, he asked,

"Where are the account books?"

"Go back to the general. It's locked in the government warehouse. This is the key and I'll give it to the general as well."

Like a hot potato, Magistrate Li hurriedly took out another treasury key and put it on the table, pushing it forward for fear of being contaminated by something.

Qin Yunjiang put down the wine bottle, then picked up two keys,

"Lan Xiao, take the people to carry the grain and money first. We have prepared the food for the two days first. The money will be distributed to the brothers first. In addition, we are going to find the accountant to check the accounts tomorrow. Don't be too much, just last year's. , I will ask for a word."

"It's the general. I will obey your orders."

After Qin Yunjiang finished speaking, he ignored the others and stood up to leave. As soon as he reached the door, he suddenly said to the soldiers,

"Hold on, you take the people, take all the wine and food, and then cook them together in a big pot tonight, so that the brothers can taste the meat and satisfy their cravings."

"Yes, General,"

Lieutenant General Lan Xiao was not polite. With a wave of his hand, the soldiers behind him swarmed in and took away all the wine and food on the table. So many people rushed in with cheers. They saw the governor Li Cheng, fellow governor Lu Ren and others. It was chilly on everyone's neck. It was not until Qin Yunjiang left that Lu Ren said with some fear,

"Sir, it's a good thing that we responded to our request just now, otherwise we might have been in trouble,"

"Yes, sir, I didn't expect General Qin to bring so many soldiers. It seems that he is here with bad intentions."

Yang Tongpan looked at the empty table, even the jug of wine was gone. The government office that was supposed to be lively was now very deserted, and the remaining officials who were accompanying him even lowered their heads and said nothing. They encountered something big. I can only follow the adults until it is dark.

Li Cheng was sitting there in shock and confusion. What was going on? How did so many soldiers come in? Could it be that Qin Yunjiang led his troops into the inner city? He must have some thoughts. Aren't he and others just meat on the chopping board, ready to be slaughtered by others? , a bad premonition suddenly came over me, and cold sweat covered my forehead. Now that I was trapped both internally and externally, I would lose my fortune and my life if I was not careful. I must not be reckless again in the future.

"You two are right, but this also reminds us that General Qin's behavior is also a bit weird. I'm afraid he has some ideas. It seems to be General Gu Ping of Jingnan. Counting the time, it's almost here. We have to Be prepared."

"Sir, what preparation are you talking about?"

The two people next to him came over carefully and asked. They should prepare, but they didn't know how to prepare.

Li Cheng smiled slightly, lowered his head and said,

"The disciples we have summoned also have many Jianghu guards, and there are many soldiers and armors from this government office. Take them all, and then go back and prepare a good carriage, wrap some gold and silver soft goods, and prepare some dry food. If it really happens, No way, I will take our children and follow General Qin to fight out, and as for the others, we can only give up."

What he said was quite heavy. In the morning, Li Chenggong stood on the city tower and looked at the dense crowd of refugees and rebels below. His legs trembled. The hungry people, who were going crazy with hunger, rushed towards the city wall like hungry wolves. He was brave and not afraid of death. Even though he was unarmed, he jumped down with the defenders, causing a lot of casualties. Wouldn't it be dangerous if the elites of the Taiping Religion were behind them.

That's why he invited the squires to a banquet today to give General Qin some confidence. But the behavior of those people, let alone confidence, made him feel cold. Maybe while General Gu was coming, even if he couldn't win, it would be better to retreat successfully. Yes, that’s why I said what I just said.

Although the two of them didn't quite understand why the prefect was so sure that the city could not be defended, who didn't want to leave a way for themselves to survive.

They all nodded in response,

"Thank you, sir, for the advice. We and I will keep it in mind. But sir, when do you think General Qin will go out of the city to kill the enemy?"

Tongzhi Lu Ren talked for a long time, but he couldn't say anything about breaking out and retreating, so he simply changed his words and went out to kill the enemy. Yang Tongpan also looked over with wide eyes, wanting to see the prefect's guess.

"Ahem, I estimate that it won't be a long time. Didn't General Qin just say that if we check the accounts tomorrow, we will definitely take action. Once we take action, it will be as soon as possible."

"This is your lord, I understand!"

That night.

Lin Yue Fucheng's private figures were flickering, and there were many spies watching.

Especially the government office,

As soon as Qin Yunjiang left, a spy trotted all the way to Zhao Yucheng's mansion to report Qin Yunjiang's whereabouts.

"Report, sir, General Qin has left with his troops and gone to the outer city."

"Okay, okay, I'm finally gone. Now that I'm gone, I can sleep peacefully tonight."

President Zhao smiled and said to everyone.

It turned out that after the gentry was driven away, they secretly went to Chairman Zhao's residence under the cover of a carriage, thinking of discussing a safe strategy together. Now they are thinking about defending the city, not losing their money and food, and returning the favor. It would be difficult to ensure that the prefect officials and General Qin would not cause trouble afterwards.

Judging from today's appearance, the people in the government office are not that good, but General Qin's eyes are quite unkind, and the soldiers guarding the city are under his command, so this matter must not be over yet. Si Boqing among them hesitated and said,

"President Zhao, I think General Qin will not give up. Otherwise, I can collect some money and food to send to General Qin. It would be better to resolve the immediate crisis first. Otherwise, I might be involved in the end."

"Haha, Bo Qing, you are young. As the saying goes, the wolf can never be fed. If you feed him today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, you have to ask for it. If it is easier to give him more, you Believe it or not, the thief has not been killed yet. We will become thieves soon."

What Zhao Yucheng said was a little heavy. Civilian chaos is terrible, but the most terrifying thing is military chaos. They are proficient in killing good people and taking credit for their merits, raping and plundering, so it is better to prepare early. Today Qin Yunjiang led his troops to prove it.

"You go back, assemble the servants and guards, and then prepare all kinds of dry food and other supplies to respond at any time. Also, let our people lead the inner city soldiers and horses to guard the city gate. This matter must not happen again."

"Yes, President, don't worry."

Everyone in the hall nodded in agreement. Just as everyone was discussing, another panicked figure ran in.

"President, President, it's bad, something bad is going to happen!"

"What the hell are you talking about? What's the fuss about?"

(End of this chapter)