Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 251 Congrats

It was almost dusk when Chen Qingsi was woken up.

"Is Manager Qing back? Let him come in to talk."

After Chen Qingsi received Zuoqiu's complaint, he asked Zhou Kui to leave for Xiazhou to investigate the details that day.

The first time, first hand information is the most accurate.

Zhou Kui looked tired, but his eyes were filled with anger.

Chen Qingsi knew at a glance that Zuoqiu was telling the truth.

Zhou Kui originally rebelled with Chen Shuozhen because local officials acted recklessly and the people were in dire straits, and suffered a lot.

Now there is a mother who cannot fulfill her filial piety, and a son who cannot support him.

Therefore, he deeply detested the collusion between corrupt officials and local powerful people to persecute the people.

Chen Qingsi had never doubted Zuoqiu, but for such a big matter, you couldn't just listen to one side's words, you had to investigate it yourself before you could do it freely.

"how?"

Chen Qingsi motioned for Zhou Kui to sit down.

Zhou Kui bowed first, then took his seat and said impatiently: "The situation is consistent with Zuoqiu's statement, even more conservative. People in many villages in the middle and lower reaches have been unable to make a living because they have occupied water resources. But they are The city openly showed off its wealth competition, comparing whose waterwheel was bigger and whose waterwheel was more powerful. The subordinates also found out that many waterwheels were unnecessary to build, and they were competing with each other. If you build two, I will build three. If you build a big one, I will build an even bigger one. If you build one upstream of me and take away my water source, then I will build another one further upstream."

"It is because of this that in just three to five years, more than a hundred waterwheels have been installed on both sides of the Sheyan River."

"Master Lang, these people have gone too far. They built waterwheels not for production, but for comparison. They don't care about the life and death of the people at all..."

"I see!"

Chen Qingsi cleared up the confusion and understood. She had felt strange when she heard Zuo Qiu talk about this before.

He knew the situation in Xiazhou. Like Lingzhou, it sat on a part of the Ningxia Plain and was adjacent to the fertile oil flow in the northeast of the Yellow River. However, the fatal problem was the lack of population.

If the population is insufficient, there will be less supply and demand.

With Xiazhou's small population, how could it need more than a hundred waterwheels to work? With so much wheat and rice grinding, how could there be so many iron forgings?

Is it possible to make weapons?

Now that I hear it, everything is clear.

"Thank you for your hard work!" Chen Qingsi said: "I will make them pay for what they have done. Go down and rest!"

Zhou Kui believed deeply in his master and bowed to him.

Chen Qingsi avoided thinking for a moment and asked someone to call Di Renjie.

Chen Qingsi told Di Renjie the news brought by Zhou Kui.

Di Renjie couldn't hide the anger in his eyes when he heard this, and said: "This is unreasonable. If the traitors are not eliminated, the people of Xiazhou will be uneasy."

Chen Qingsi said: "That's good! They gave us the standards for law enforcement..."

At present, Chen Qingsi and Di Renjie made plans for the situation in Xiazhou.

Early the next morning, all eighty-seven officers appeared outside the post house.

Xue Xiao, the governor of Lingzhou, also came forward and said, "Can the pacifier be of any use?"

Chen Qingsi said: "The governor Xue is in Lingzhou, just wait for good news."

He looked at the listless servants and Chen Qingsi said: "Today is the fifth day of the lunar month, which is the day to welcome the God of Wealth. I would like to invite you to come here for great use. Taking advantage of this auspicious day, I will first give you some interest and wish you a new year." The wealth will be abundant and the family and affairs will be prosperous."

As soon as he said this, a group of police officers who were forced to work overtime immediately became energetic and cheered.

Chen Qingsi took advantage of the morale and led all the officers to Xiazhou.

As soon as they entered the boundary of Xiazhou, Chen Qingsi said to Cheng Boxian: "Follow Huaiying, lead all the officers directly to Sheyanshui, and follow his instructions to dismantle the waterwheels on both sides of the river. Whoever dares to stop you, don't be polite, just clean it up. , The resistance is fierce, it doesn’t hurt to kill a few to establish authority.”

Cheng Boxian had always been a playboy before. He often got into fights and made trouble, but he was very measured in his actions and would not cause any injuries.

But now he followed Huang Heshou to the grassland and killed for a while. He opened the meat and fish, his hands were stained with blood, and his body was a little more murderous. He said in a buzzing voice: "Sir, don't worry!"

The two soldiers divided into two groups. Di Renjie took most of the people straight to Sheyanshui.

Chen Qingsi led Zhou Kui and five Cheng family guards to rush to Xiazhou.

When he arrived in Xiazhou, it was the fifth day of the first lunar month.

The fifth day of the lunar month is also called the fifth day of the lunar month.

People set off firecrackers and clean up from dawn. Blast away all unlucky things and all demons and ghosts.

This day is also the day when the poor are given away and the market opens.

The stores in Xiazhou City were open and there was a lively scene.

No matter how hard life is, during the Spring Festival, Chinese people will smile and welcome the New Year.

Chen Qingsi felt heavy in her heart as she looked at the scene of women, children and women sweeping the street.

If he hadn't recruited their father and husband, perhaps the scene now would be that of a happy family.

As we go deeper into the city, the situation in front of us is different.

Many men, women and children, dressed in gorgeous clothes, brought carloads of gifts and began to give gifts and visit friends.

This is the difference!

The poor served honestly, while the rich children could be exempted from the corvee as long as they paid money.

It is unforgivable to ignore the life and death of ordinary people even though they have already enjoyed benefits that ordinary people cannot enjoy.

Chen Qingsi had a sullen face all the way and followed the flow of people giving gifts to the governor's office in Xiazhou.

The gate of the government office is closed, and the front door is deserted. It is normal to take a rest during the holidays.

"I'll call the door!"

Zhou Kui couldn't wait.

"and many more!"

Chen Qingsi squinted her eyes and looked at Xiangyou Street. The limo that came along with them left at the same time.

Chen Qingsi followed the ceremonial car and walked around the right street to the side entrance of the governor's office.

The entire side door long street was filled with people giving gifts, and it was like a bustling crowd, nothing more than that.

Chen Qingsi thought for a while, borrowed a table from a nearby house, took a pen and paper from the bag on horseback, wrote sixteen words eloquently, then picked up the pen and signed it, and stamped it with his own seal.

"Come on, let's give gifts too!"

Chen Qingsi did not take the side door, but the main entrance of the government office.

Zhou Kui reported Chen Qingsi's name.

The concierge didn't even dare to pass the news. He first welcomed Chen Qingsi into the front hall, and then went to find their governor Xiong Lianghong.

At this moment, Xiong Lianghong was entertaining guests in the living room.

The guests were Yuan Feng, the head of the Yuan family, the most powerful man in Xiazhou, and Liu Chuang, the second powerful man.

Yuan Feng was in his fifties, and his face looked warm and angry at the moment.

But Liu Chuang raised his head high and looked at Yuan Feng with a bit of disdain.

It is obvious that the relationship between the first powerful person and the second powerful person is not very good.

With a somewhat hypocritical smile on his face, Xiong Lianghong said: "You two, why do you have to do this? Your family has a big business, why are you like children, making trouble when they meet? They are all gentry who are highly valued and trusted by the envoy. Xiazhou is what it is today. Sheng, you take great credit, it’s not just a New Year’s gift, it’s fine as long as it comes to your heart, there’s no need to differentiate.”

(End of this chapter)