The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 108 People's Hearts Are Available
After getting off the city wall, Zhu Xiu and Wen Tai rushed to the Yacheng warehouse.

Song Shen and Pei Jin led several subordinate officials to inspect the grain reserves.

The warehouse is only the size of a wing, and the grain bags are only stacked less than half way.

Half a bushel of wheat was scattered on the ground. Pei Jin took a broom and dustpan and carefully cleaned it up bit by bit, not wanting to waste even one grain.

"Currently, the food collected is only enough for the Ya army for five days. If the porridge and batter are thinner, they can last for seven or eight days at most. If it is less, the soldiers will be in trouble." Song Shen said in a low voice.

Zhu Xiu's face was solemn. He had already eaten the gruel this morning. According to his request, except for Shi Kuangwei who was recovering from his injuries, the rest of the people in Jiedu Mansion had the same food as the Ya soldiers.

After drinking a bowl of gruel, you won't feel full, but at most it can relieve some hunger.

"There are still a dozen sheep, two oxen, and a dozen lame horses in the house. They should all be slaughtered. We can save more on the porridge and batter. When cooking, we can add some oil, meat and vegetables, and try to make this small amount of food enough to eat. Ten days!

Then send people to buy meat, oil, vegetables and fruits from the people in the city. Those who have surplus food at home and are willing to sell it can buy it at sixty cents per pound. "

Zhu Xiu ordered in a deep voice and looked at Pei Jin: "I will leave this matter to Pei Zhizhi."

Pei Jin has lost a lot of weight in the past few days, with slightly bulging cheekbones and sunken eye sockets.

Hearing Zhu Xiu's words, Pei Jin, who was sweeping the floor silently, was stunned for a moment, and his lips trembled: "Young Envoy, you are still willing. Are you willing to use me?"

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "The fire in the county warehouse has nothing to do with you, so don't think too much about it."

Pei Jin's eyes turned red and he shed tears. He choked with sobs and bowed his head and said, "Thank you so much. Thank you so much, young envoy, for ignoring the past grudges! I will definitely give my all and die!"

Zhu Xiu almost couldn't help but roll his eyes, and asked him to be the logistics manager, take care of the food for the Ya army, and rationally distribute the surplus food in his hands. How could he be made like a minister who cares about life and shoulder the responsibility of supporting the country?
Pei Jin is not good at reading, but is good at calculating accounts, and is sensitive to numbers. Under Zhu Xiu's training, he can basically master the addition and subtraction of Arabic numerals.

As an envoy, the commander-in-chief of Changyi Town cannot leave Anding County, and the money and food in the treasury are also very limited. It only takes a few people to settle the accounts.

Let him be the logistics manager, which can be regarded as making full use of his talents.

Song Shen now also serves as the marching Sima, re-registering Yabing military personnel, formulating military regulations, distributing talismans, and acting as Zhu Xiu's first assistant.

Without further ado, Pei Jin put down his broom and led his two subordinates to retire.

Zhu Xiu's appointment made him radiant and energetic, and his steps became high-spirited and hasty.

His violent wife had taken her daughter to Zhecheng City, and now Pei Jin was alone.

He had publicly broken up with the Xue family before, which also put him on the Xue family's blacklist. It was impossible to return to the Xue family's arms. He could only prosper and lose with the Jiedu Mansion.

But when there was a fire in the county warehouse, Pei Jin thought that his future in Jiedu Mansion was burned. He lost hope in life and became confused all day long.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Xiu was still willing to use him now, which made him extremely grateful. He was determined to make the existing grain last for more than ten days even if he cut his own meat and cooked it for the Yajun.

Song Shen frowned again and said: "The common people may be able to sell some meat, oil, fruits and vegetables, but I'm afraid it will be difficult to buy surplus grain. Not only is the army short of food, but the common people are also short of food."

Zhu Xiu pondered for a moment, then looked at Wen Tai, the meaning made old man Wen's scalp tingle.

"The Wen family is the largest household in Jingzhou after the Xue family," Zhu Xiu said quietly.

Old Man Wen's face fell and he cried mournfully: "There is not much food left in the big family! The Wen family alone has more than fifty people, plus the servants, servants, and long-term workers, there are nearly two hundred mouths to eat!"

Zhu Xiu rubbed his hands: "Take out as much as possible to set an example."

Wen Tai let out a long sigh and almost plucked out all his white beard. He gritted his teeth and said, "Thirty stones! Any more will really be gone! If you don't believe me, you can go home with me and open the warehouse to check."

Zhu Xiu's face became solemn, and she cupped her hands and said, "Mr. Wen is very righteous. On behalf of all the soldiers of the Zhangyi Army, I would like to thank Gong Wen!"

Wen Tai made a sign with "six" and shook it vigorously: "Sixty cents per pound, the young envoy cannot break his promise!"

Zhu Xiu said with a slight disdain: "Look how nervous you are, sixty is sixty, you are so petty! But I have to keep accounts, and I don't have that much money in my hand!"

Wen Tai sighed and had to pinch his nose to admit it.

Affected by the situation, the new hemp twisting workshop that the Wen family had just planned to build has also been completely suspended.

Wen Tai also hopes that Zhu Xiu and Shi Kuangwei can lead the Zhangyi Army to survive this disaster. Otherwise, if the Xue family comes to power, the Wen family will definitely have a hard time.

It is good to be able to save the clan members. As for the new method of twisting hemp, the Wen family will definitely not own it by then.

In the afternoon, Zhu Xiu stayed in the mansion, chatting with Shi Kuangwei casually.

Lao Shi's wound was somewhat inflamed, and he was suffering from high fever. He was half-conscious and could not continue his sentences.

The old doctor didn't understand the concept of inflammation and explained it as heat poison. He added a few herbs to the prescription, but the effect was not obvious.

Zhu Xiu couldn't help, so he could only worry on the sidelines.

Shi Lingyan's eyes were red, and he said that he was going to ask a warlock to perform the method of inviting gods, and to get some talisman water for Lao Shi to drink, but Zhu Xiu scolded him severely.

Ma San hurriedly ran into the house: "Young official, there are many people gathered at the gate of Yacheng. Deputy Ambassador Guan, please go over and take a look."

Zhu Xiu was surprised. Could it be that Pei Jin used force to purchase grain from the people in the county and provoked the civil uprising?
"Let's go!" Not daring to delay, Zhu Xiu hurried over.When we rushed to the gate of Yacheng, we saw that a large number of people had gathered, no less than a thousand people, and many more were gathering from all over the outer city.

Although there were many people gathered, no one was causing trouble. They lined up in more than a dozen columns, seemingly orderly.

If you look closely, you can see that the people are carrying large and small bags on their shoulders, some carrying half a bucket of corn, some carrying more than ten kilograms of wheat, and some holding earthen jars filled with meat and oil.

"They." Zhu Xiu was speechless for a moment.

Pei Jin cupped his hands with a smile and said: "When the common people learned that the army was short of food, they were willing to take some from their own rations and sell it to Jiedu Mansion. In just half a day, the news spread throughout the city."

Zhu Xiu pursed her lips, her eyes were slightly moist, and she muttered softly: "The people's hearts are available, the people's hearts are available!"

Before, I was worried that the people would not sell it even if they had surplus grain. After all, it was the spring plowing season and the county was under lockdown. It was not known when the lockdown would be lifted. Only by having more grain in hand could people avoid starving to death.

What's more, the Yabing riot a few days ago really harmed many families. Even if the people were on guard and had some resistance to Jiedu Mansion, Zhu Xiu could understand.

But I didn't expect that the people of Anding would be so sensible and kind.

Guan Tieshi led a man in a cloth robe over. When the man saw Zhu Xiu, he knelt down and bowed his head: "Common people kowtow to small officials."

Zhu Xiu hurriedly leaned over to help him up. Guan Tieshi smiled and said: "He is the proprietor of Wuji Warehouse in Dongji'er Lane, and a well-known philanthropist in the county. This time, he also mobilized his neighbors to sell grain and took the lead in delivering food. Come five stones of rice."

Merchant Wu raised his hands and said in fear: "I don't dare to call him a good person. I have been a villain for generations to stabilize the people. I am an old friend of my neighbors. If someone has something to do, it doesn't matter if I help him."

When Zhu Xiu saw that he had a broad face and thick eyebrows, and a rather upright appearance, he couldn't help but feel good about him: "What is Dongzhu Wu's name?"

"The villain is called Wu Dazhuan." Dongzhu Wu smiled and bowed.

Zhu Xiu cupped his hands and said: "Dongzhu Wu understands the righteousness well. On behalf of Jiedu Mansion, I would like to express my thanks in advance!"

"Ouch! A low-ranking official has betrayed a low-ranking official!" Wu Dazhuan did not dare to accept the courtesy and hurriedly turned away.

"The villain knows that it was the junior officials who founded the Yangjinchuan Salt Factory and took the lead in distributing free salt to the people of Jingyuan and Yuan prefectures. Now the people of Anding have no shortage of salt to eat, saving a lot of money. The villagers all remember the historical festival A handsome person and a small official are good people.

This time the Xue family rebelled and set fire to the grain depot, causing the Ya army to be short of food. The villain thought that it was time to repay the kindness of Shi Jieshuai and Xiaoguanren, so he informed the villagers of the great relationship. After everyone found out, They were all willing to sell their surplus food to Jiedu Mansion. "

Zhu Xiuxiao became more and more friendly: "How do Lord Wu and the people in the county view this turmoil?"

Wu Dachuan swallowed his saliva and gritted his teeth and said: "To be honest with you, the common people of Anding don't know that the Xue family is a cancer! In the past, the common people often gave their hard-earned money to the Xue family just to eat a mouthful of salt. Like this villain Ordinary merchants are even more bullied by the Xue family. The Xue family wants to get involved in any business that makes money!
The villain's family used to be engaged in leather goods trading. The Xue family sent someone to collect the villain's goods, gave him ten guan of money, and warned the villain that he was not allowed to run the business again in the future.There is no other way, so the villain has set up a warehouse again. As long as the Xue family can be eradicated, the villain is even willing to donate half of his net worth! "

Zhu Xiu and Guan Tieshi looked at each other and smiled, and said with relief: "Don't worry, Dongzhu Wu, the Xue family has brought harm to the people of Zhangyi for many years. This time Commander Shi is determined to eradicate it and bring justice to the people of the two states."

After a few more words of encouragement, Wu Dazhi left with gratitude.

Pei Jin smiled and said: "My official has investigated and found out that Wu Dazhuan has a good reputation in this county and is a sensible man. With him taking the lead in mobilizing the people, the purchase of military rations will be completed smoothly."

Zhu Xiu warned: "You must pay according to the price set before, and there must be no shortage. If the money is not enough, use cloth to replace it. In addition, write down Wu Da's signature, so that he can be used in the future." "

"Don't worry, I will understand."

Guan Tieshi said: "The common people don't have much food left in their hands. Even if they try hard, they won't be able to get much. For the long term, we still have to find ways to get enough food."

Zhu Xiu nodded, pointed to the people who were pouring in from all over the county, and said: "Let the commanders bring the soldiers in turn to see. This is the support of the Anding people to our Jiedu Mansion! With this people's support, We can get through this!"

On the turret of Yacheng, Wei Hu watched the lively scene at the gate of the city expressionlessly.

Pang Guangsheng, who was behind him, couldn't help but sigh: "Three generations of the Shi family have never forgotten to treat the people well. To this day, the people of Zhangyi still appreciate the kindness of the Shi family. It is clear at a glance who the people are willing to support as the leader of Zhangyi."

Pang Guangsheng took out a fire-lacquered secret letter from his arms and said hesitantly: "General, do you want to send this letter out of the city?"

Wei Hu was silent for a while, then stretched out his hand, and Pang Guangsheng handed the letter to him.

Wei Hu tore the letter into pieces, slowly, very finely, and into pieces. When he let go, the scraps of paper were blown away by the wind.

Pang Guangsheng breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

In his opinion, staying with peace of mind is the right decision.

Wei Hu suddenly said in a deep voice: "Do you think Zhu Xiu dispersed the fang soldiers and re-divided them to guard against me?"

Pang Guangsheng was stunned and said hesitantly: "I don't think so because of my humble position. After all, after the turmoil, the commanders were scattered. Re-allocating soldiers and arranging commanders is also a normal move."

Wei Hu kept his face solemn and said nothing, not knowing what he was thinking.

Pang Guangsheng whispered: "General, you still think that the Jiedu Mansion cannot defeat the Xue family?"

Wei Hu stared at the outside of the city.

"Let's see first how Zhu Xiu will deal with Feng Xiangjun!"

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(End of this chapter)