At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 153 A Thousand Gold Buys a Horse Bone, Under Cai Zhou Youping

But when Zhou Qi returned to Xiang County, he was grandly received by Yuan Zhong, Prime Minister of Pei State, and officials of Pei State.

In order to take care of the emotions of the soldiers under his command and to facilitate the recruitment of troops in Xiang County in the future, Zhou Qi helped the soldiers buy extremely generous gifts so that they could return to their hometowns in good clothes and glory.

Sure enough, when these soldiers who followed Zhou Qi returned home early, they all gained the envy of the township party.

As the earliest knight-errant to follow Zhou Qi, Chen Wen's every move attracted much attention.

When Xi Zhicai learned that Chen Wen had returned to his hometown, he took advantage of Zhou Qi's free time to persuade him: "Chen Wen has been following Ming Gong for a long time. If he returns home this time without getting an official position, he may attract people's ridicule and it will not be good for Ming Dynasty." The Duke is recruiting troops in the country of Pei."

"In ancient times, there were thousands of gold to buy horse bones. Although Chen Wen didn't show his talent, he was loyal. The Duke of Ming should reward him generously. Only in this way can he attract the heroes of the Pei Kingdom to seek refuge."

Hearing this, Zhou Qi felt enlightened, slapped his forehead and shouted: "If Zhicai hadn't reminded me, I'm afraid I'll miss a big deal!"

Zhou Qi has not forgotten his kindness to the township party members such as Zhou Cheng and Chen Wen who were the first to follow Zhou Qi to assassinate Wang Ji and have always followed him.

Previously, it was only because of their special status, and these people did not make any contributions, so there was no special reward from the official position.

Zhou Qi was now granted the title of Yangzhou Shepherd, and also held the position of Chariot and Cavalry General, with the power to open a mansion.

He originally planned to arrive in Yangzhou, and after things settled down, he would discuss with Xi Zhicai the reward for his generals.

I didn't think about it, but I forgot that Chen Wen's return home this time is not only about Chen Wen's own face, but also about whether he has a future with Zhou Qi.

If Chen Wen is still just a low-level military officer, many people may think that even Chen Wen, a confidant who once followed Zhou Qi to assassinate Wang Ji, and followed him for ten years, would be so miserable.

Then if I go to Zhou Qi again, I guess there will be no future.

In this way, it will have a great impact on Zhou Qi's plan to recruit trilogy in Xiang County in the future.

With this in mind, Zhou Qi didn't dare to be negligent, and didn't even go back to his former residence. He directly changed into casual clothes, ordered people to prepare rich gifts, and then rushed to Chen Wen's house with Dian Wei and others.

As soon as Zhou Qi walked to the door of Chen Wen's house, he heard one after another of questioning and Chen Wen's angry voice.

Zhou Qi secretly thought "lucky", hurriedly walked into the yard, and then deliberately said: "Did Awen drink too much? Why is he still so grumpy when he returns home?"

Chen Wen, who was originally angry and ashamed, was immediately agitated when he saw Zhou Qi, and hurriedly knelt down on the ground and stepped forward to salute.

Zhou Qi strode forward, helped Chen Wen up on the ground, held his arm, and said, "Although we have different surnames, we are as close as brothers. Why do we do this great gift?"

"I originally planned to return home with you and come to visit the Grand Duke, but I never thought that Prime Minister Pei would be unable to refuse his kindness, so I was delayed for a while."

"I came here in a hurry after hearing that Ah Wen had returned home. I wonder if I missed the banquet at your house?"

When Chen Wen saw Zhou Qi giving him face like this, his face immediately turned red and he said: "It's not too late, it's not too late, it's definitely not too late!"

"The chariot general is here, the humble house is really full of splendor!"

The Patriarch of the Chen family heard the discussion of the people just now, and he was worried that his son would not be reused, but the situation changed drastically in a blink of an eye, General Che Qi came to the door in person, and Father Chen was overjoyed immediately.

When Zhou Qi saw Father Chen approaching, he hurried forward to support Father Chen, preventing him from showing respect.

He himself immediately took two steps back, bowed solemnly to Father Chen, and said, "My junior, Zhou Qi, pay homage to the grandpa!"

Father Chen received this great obeisance, and immediately said in a hurry: "The chariot general has a high position and authority, how can you give me such a great gift?"

"useless!"

"It's really impossible!"

Zhou Qi said sternly: "In the past, my family ancestors suffered disasters, and I was young and frivolous. I wanted to kill Wang Ji, Prime Minister of Peiguo, to avenge my revenge, but I was alone and helpless."

"If there is no Ah Wen who doesn't love his body, and goes to hardships for righteousness, how can I be Zhou Qi today?"

"Awen and I are brothers and sisters."

"Since Uncle is Ah Wen's father, he naturally deserves this obeisance!"

When Chen's father heard this, he couldn't help but burst into tears with excitement, and said, "I would also like to thank General Chariot and Cavalry for his support and guidance, otherwise Awen would still be a country wanderer, not doing his job every day, and being looked down upon by his neighbors."

However, Zhou Qi exaggerated Chen Wen in front of Chen's father and all the blind daters, and then asked the soldiers under his command to send generous gifts, and all the people who came to the banquet looked envious.

After exchanging greetings with Chen's father, Zhou Qi clasped his fists to the guests present and said, "You are not only Ah Wen's relatives and friends, but also Zhou Qi's relatives and friends. I am here to greet you on Ah Wen's behalf!"

Everyone was flattered and stood up to return the salute one after another.

Then, Zhou Qi said loudly: "Ah Wen and I have been wandering for ten years, and we have made great achievements through hard work."

"I am not talented, and the Mongolian court valued me a lot. I worshiped him as a chariot general and Yangzhou shepherd. I originally planned to give Ahwen an official post after arriving in Yangzhou."

"However, since all your relatives and friends are here today, I will simply tell you about Awen's official position in advance, so that you can have fun with your relatives and friends!"

Hearing this, everyone pricked up their ears and wanted to know what kind of official position Chen Wen would hold.

Even Chen Wen himself was a little nervous at this time.

After seeing everyone's performance, Zhou Qi immediately looked at Chen Wen and said, "I want to present Ah Wen as the capital of Jiujiang County, but I don't know what Ah Wen thinks?"

Chen Wen hastily bowed, "Thank you, Mr. Ming, for his promotion."

Some people don't know much about the rank and rank of official positions, so they immediately asked: "Dare to ask General Cheqi, what kind of official position is Wei Cheng, the capital of Jiujiang County, how much salary, and is there a seal?"

Zhou Qi looked at the man and said with a smile: "The state has a state captain, and the county has a county captain. The captain is the highest military officer of the county. The captain can also have a prime minister under his command, with a rank of six hundred stones, a bronze seal and a black ribbon."

"To put it more simply, the rank of an official position is roughly equivalent to that of a county magistrate."

"boom!"

Zhou Qi's voice fell, and the courtyard immediately exploded.

For these ordinary people, they may not know what the official position of the county magistrate is, but they know the power of the county magistrate.

You know, Zhou Qi worked so hard back then, not only won the praise of Gai Xun, but also got the thigh of Yuan Shi, but he was only named the head of Anfeng County, and his rank was less than six hundred stones.

Including Gu Yong, the current magistrate of Hefei County, who became a disciple of the great scholar Cai Yong. He was also from a wealthy family in Jiangdong, but his rank was less than [-] shi.

Nowadays, Chen Wen, a common man with an ordinary background, has been awarded a high-ranking official position like Du Weicheng of Jiujiang County just because he followed the right person. How can he not be envied by everyone?

After the envy was over, many people immediately surrounded him and asked, "I don't know if General Cheqi is still recruiting people. We are all from the same town as General Cheqi, so we will definitely follow him to death."

Zhou Qi laughed and said, "I'm planning to ask Xiang Hong and Chen Wen to recruit soldiers in Xiang County. Anyone who is interested can come and join the army."

"As long as you can be recruited, you can move your family to Jiujiang County. There will be no shortage of houses and fields!"

After Zhou Qi finished speaking, everyone's mood immediately became very high, with a look of anticipation in their eyes.

In today's era, it is not easy to survive. If you can stay with Zhou Qi and get a house and land, many people are willing to leave their hometown.

Seeing the commotion in the courtyard, Father Chen immediately stepped forward and shouted, "Quiet, quiet!"

"General Chaqi finally came here, please don't be rude, let's have a feast for now, and talk about other things after the banquet is over!"

Father Chen's prestige is already quite high, and now that Chen Wen has been granted the title of Captain of Jiujiang County, Father Chen's status has risen even higher.

Now that he had spoken, the people present did not dare to continue to make a fuss, and returned to their seats one after another, but their minds became active.

They watched Chen Wen grow up, and if he can't write, he can't do martial arts, but because of following Zhou Qi, he can have today's achievements.

If they follow Zhou Qi now, even though it is a bit late, they still have the friendship of the township party after all, and they must have a good future.

No matter how bad things are, you can still make a living with Chen Wen, and your life will not be miserable haha.

Zhou Qi, Dian Wei, and Xiang Hong were ushered into the house, and Chen's father ordered his servants to serve the best wine and meat for hospitality.

Everyone sat down, but Chen Wen took advantage of Chen's father going out to entertain everyone, and said hesitantly: "Although I have been with the general for a long time, I have not made any achievements. I am afraid that I cannot be the captain of Jiujiang County."

Just now outside, Chen Wen didn't say no to him for the sake of his own face.

But he knew his own abilities, and he was unavoidably criticized for taking such a high position suddenly.

And he also knew that the county captain was not permanent, there was no county captain at all in Jiujiang County, so how could there be any county captain?
He also thought that Zhou Qi casually mentioned such an official position in order to save himself.

Looking at the cautious Chen Wen, Zhou Qi couldn't help sighing: "What I just said outside is not false."

"Bod and Arvin were the first people to follow me, and they are also my most trusted brothers, sisters, and dearest relatives and friends."

"As the saying goes: if you are rich, don't forget each other."

"If you and I can't reuse promotions, who will work for me, Zhou Qi, in the future?"

Zhou Qi is well aware of the lessons learned by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang.

After the two made their fortunes, they began to look down on their former township party members, and their attitude towards the fellow township party members was not very good, so they lost the hearts of the people.

Insufficient abilities can be cultivated, and they can also be assigned assistants.

As long as he is loyal, Zhou Qi will entrust him with important responsibilities.

These township parties who followed him at the beginning are the people Zhou Qi trusts the most, and Zhou Qi can trust him with his life.

Hearing this, Chen Wen couldn't help his nose sour, and said: "But I also know that there is no county captain in Jiujiang County, so how come the official position of county capital Weicheng?"

Zhou Qi said with a smile: "It wasn't there before, but it will be in the future."

He said sincerely: "The situation is not optimistic when I go to Yangzhou. I want to use the local scholars in Yangzhou, but I can't be hindered by them."

"It is for this reason that I plan to re-establish the post of county captain in each county."

"There are many talented people from aristocratic families, and I am not a stingy person. High officials and rich salary can be rewarded, even the position of county guard, as long as they have enough talent, I will never be stingy."

"Of course, the heart of defense is indispensable."

"I want to separate the military and administration of the counties in Yangzhou. The county guards govern the people, and the county captain leads the army. The county guard can be anyone, but the county captain must be a trustworthy confidant."

"The state government of Yangzhou is located in Jiujiang. The captain of Jiujiang County is very important. My life and fortune are all entrusted to this place."

"Therefore, I want to use Bode as the captain of Jiujiang County, and Ah Wen and his brother who assassinated Wang Ji together in the past as the captain, so that I can firmly hold the military power in my hands."

Xiang Hong was also a little shocked when he suddenly heard that he was going to be canonized as the captain of Jiujiang County.

Prior to this, Zhou Qike had never disclosed his style of export.

Zhou Qi looked at the two of them and said: "Jiujiang County is the seat of the state, and it is also a strategically important place. It guards the key points of Xu, Yang, and Henan, and the Huaihe River also passes through it."

"As long as Jiujiang is occupied, you can attack Xuzhou downstream in the east, enter Runan in the west, and connect to Peiguo, our hometown, in the north. It's like looking for something."

"Even if I don't want to take Peiguo, as long as the politics is clear, the heroes of Peiguo know that I am in Jiujiang, and they will come to vote one after another."

"If Jiujiang advances, it can seize the Central Plains; if it retreats, it can separate Jiangnan."

"There is absolutely no room for loss in such an important place. I would not trust it if it were handed over to others. I must have trusted people to lead the troops and garrison it. Do you know what I mean?"

Xiang Hong and Chen Wen looked at each other, and then they both bowed to the ground, saying: "We will live up to Duke Ming's trust!"

Zhou Qi personally helped the two men up and said: "I have ordered brothers Xu Chu and Xu Ding to recruit troops in Qiao County, and I also plan to leave you two to recruit troops in Xiang County. The minimum is three thousand and the maximum is five thousand. Don't worry about money and food." Even if the Zhou family of Peiguo sells off the family property, they will do their best to help."

"These township party members will be my confidants from now on. They will be led by you two and stationed in Jiujiang to protect me."

Zhou Qi has been planning this matter for a long time.

With Zhou Qi's reputation, coupled with the influence and financial resources of the Peiguo Zhou family in the local area, it is not difficult to recruit enough soldiers and horses.

With Chen Wen returning home in glory, many ambitious Pei heroes will flock to join him.

There are many aristocratic families in Yangzhou, and their influence is extraordinary.

Zhou Qi couldn't trust them, so he planned to recruit reliable soldiers from other places for his own use.

"only!"

Xiang Hong and Chen Wen looked solemn and agreed.

After bidding farewell to Father Chen and Chen Wen, Zhou Qi took Dian Wei and Xiang Hong back to his old house, visited the elders and members of the clan, and then went to pay homage to the old grandpa.

After finishing all the matters, Zhou Qi did not stay in Pei State for long. He had a long secret talk with his clan uncle Zhou Jing and then immediately left with his troops.

After Zhou Qi left, Zhou Jing also began to sell his property, ready to bet the fate of the whole family on Zhou Qi.

After helping Xiang Hong and Chen Wenzheng to recruit soldiers, the Peiguo Zhou family will first move part of them to Yangzhou, and after the Zhou family has established a firm foothold, the whole family will move there.

The reason for this is that the Zhou family in Pei State has developed for hundreds of years. Although it is not among the noble clans, it has spread its branches and leaves, and its family members are spread all over the country.

It is not easy to move the whole family.

Only after Zhou Jing went to Yangzhou to serve as the prefect of a county in the future and fully grasped the local power, could the huge Zhou clan be settled down.

When that time comes, I am afraid that the Zhou family will become the home of the local county in one fell swoop.

With the support of Zhou Qi and Zhou Jing, the rise of the Zhou family will be unstoppable.

But Zhou Qi led troops from Peiguo to the south and went to Yangzhou.

In order not to give people the feeling of domineering, Zhou Jin was specially ordered to change into ordinary clothes, and took a dozen people and Zhou Qi's invitation to Shouchun first, so as to find out the tone of Chen Wen, the governor of Yangzhou.

If Chen Wen is willing to take over Yangzhou, everyone will naturally be happy.

Otherwise, Zhou Qi could only use a large army to suppress the territory and occupy Yangzhou.

Zhou Qi now has a large number of troops and an imperial edict. Unless Chen Wen is crazy, he will never dare to occupy the position of governor of Yangzhou.

The reason why Zhou Jin was sent out was also to give the other party a chance to make meritorious service, so that he could be promoted in the future.

As a relative of Xi Zhicai, Zhou Jin also served as the leader of the water bandits for a period of time, and he was also very successful in breaking the water.

If Zhou Qi wants to occupy the south, he must establish a naval force. Although Zhou Jin's military force is only a third-rate one, it might not be impossible to use it after some training.

However, when Zhou Jin entered Jiujiang County, Yangzhou, the first county town he saw was Xiacai.

Xiacai is located to the north of the Huaihe River, guarding the northern gate of Jiujiang. To the south is Shouchun, the old capital of Chu State, and the place where Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor in history.

Zhou Jin grew up in the water since she was a child. After seeing the mighty Huaihe River, she couldn't help being overjoyed. Regardless of the cold weather, she jumped into the water naked and swam in the Huaihe River. The dozen or so people accompanying her were stunned.

At the same time, on the fishing boat on the Huaihe River, a strong young man who had just reached his crown was fishing leisurely, but his eyes lit up when he saw Zhou Jin swimming in the Huaihe River.

This man's surname is Zhou Mingtai, and his surname is Youping. He belongs to the Xiacai family of Jiujiang County. He has been famous for his bravery since he was a child, and his water skills are excellent.

With a radius of tens of miles, when it comes to martial arts and water skills, if Zhou Tai is ranked second, no one would dare to rank first.

Zhou Tai was also delighted to see Lie Xin, and wanted to compete with the big man in the water, and immediately shouted deliberately: "Man Wu, you are so ignorant, didn't you see someone fishing in the river?"

"Won't you frighten my fish away by hopping around like this?"

Zhou Jin, who was swimming in the water, suddenly heard Zhou Tai's remarks, and immediately burned with anger, cursing: "Where did the bastard come from, how dare he seek bad luck?"

"Even if the Huaihe River belongs to your family, Naiwen still swims in his own river. How dare you make noise here?"

When Zhou Tai heard this, he couldn't help being furious.

Originally, he just wanted to find an excuse, so that he could compete with the big man in the water, but he never thought that the other party's words were rude, and immediately annoyed Zhou Tai.

Regardless of the cold winter, Zhou Tai tore off his clothes, pointed at Zhou Jin and cursed: "How dare you insult me ​​like a bird? Today I will let you know how powerful I, Zhou Tai, am!"

After speaking, Zhou Tai jumped into the water and swam towards Zhou Jin.

When Zhou Jin saw this, he laughed: "I, Zhou Jin, am not afraid of others in this water. Since you dare to come to bring bad luck to Nai Weng, today I can show you how powerful Nai Weng is."

Zhou Tai was even angrier when he heard the words, but he didn't use his tongue, he plunged into the water and disappeared immediately.

Seeing this, Zhou Jin knew that she had encountered a ruthless person, so she didn't rush, swam to the side, and then quietly lurked in the water.

With sharp eyes, he carefully observed the water surface, wanting to see where Zhou Tai would surface from.

(End of this chapter)