Fenghou

After Li Cheng got the report, he immediately understood that this was the surveillance cavalry of the Song Army, and he should not attack him. He immediately ordered: "Send the whole army, speed up!"

At dawn, Li Cheng's team walked into Songlou Town. Songlou Town is located at the junction of Yingchang Mansion and Kaifeng Mansion. It is under the jurisdiction of Yanling County of Kaifeng Mansion, which means that Li Cheng left Yingchang as agreed. government.

Not long after, Tang Qian also led [-] cavalry to turn around and rush towards Xuchang County...

The Western Army has lifted the martial law in Xuchang City, and [-] troops have already left the city. Even if a small number of soldiers are left in the city, they will not be able to make waves. Besides, Chen Qing also warned Li Cheng not to play small tricks. The family members of the soldiers are hostages. .

Although the martial law was lifted, the city was still very quiet, with few pedestrians, and almost no shops in the city were open.

The Western Army posted a notice to relieve the people, so all civilian husbands who participated in the defense of the city were pardoned, and they were not held accountable for their crimes. They reassured the people that they don’t have to worry about it and can live a normal life. At the same time, the Western Army provided porridge in the city.

Three porridge sheds have been set up on the street, and the army began to provide porridge. Although the street was deserted, the people who received the porridge lined up in front of each shed.

What Chen Qing is most concerned about is the warehouse. The warehouse is a city within a city. It is located in the middle of the county, with a circumference of about eight miles and occupies 50% of the area of ​​Xuchang County. The most food in the warehouse is grain. After all, Yingchang Prefecture is the largest grain-producing state in the Central Plains. In the government, [-] shi of grain was stored. This amount has exceeded Bianliang, but other materials are much less than Bianliang.

There are also armored bows and crossbows, which can probably arm about 3 people. From this, we can see the characteristics of Li Cheng's leading troops. He would rather be smart than too many. He turned all [-] civilians into the army, and there are [-] troops in the city. , but such an army is also the easiest to defeat.

Once the two sides set up the battlefield, the army will even collapse without fighting. What kind of combat capabilities will the converted army of [-] civilians have, and let them defend the city? But in essence, Li Cheng is well versed in the truth.

There are also kerosene, gunpowder, cloth, pig iron, copper ingots, medicinal materials, tea cakes, tung oil, wood, as well as tents, war drums, flags, camp fences and other materials.

But Chen Qing found that there were no copper coins, gold and silver, and no silk.

The warehouse manager explained: "Silk is not in stock. There used to be more than 1 bolts of silk and satin, which were transported to Lin'an by Li Cheng and sold. They were all replaced with cloth and shipped back. , a total of [-] horses."

"Is there no local cloth? How about copper coins, gold and silver?"

Chen Qing asked: "Did he distribute it to soldiers or family members last night?"

The warehouse manager was taken aback, and quickly explained: "Last night, there was absolutely no allocation to soldiers and family members. Shen Tong said that he had reached an agreement with His Highness to close the warehouse, so he didn't open the warehouse door, and closed it directly."

"Then can you explain why?"

The warehouse supervisor wiped the sweat from his forehead and said: "There will be no gold and silver, and there will be no official warehouses. The fourth prince has a strict order that gold and silver from all over the country must be sent to Bianliang, and private storage is not allowed. Copper coins are It was used to pay the military salary, but it was not enough, so it was offset with cloth, so there would be no copper coins, and all the cloth was used to supplement the military salary.”

At this time, Zhang Xiao came over and said with a smile: "Your Highness, I have talked with Suzhi County, and it was really good. Do you want to see him, Your Highness?"

Chen Qing nodded, "I'm going to the county government now!"

Chapter One Thousand and Four Reasons

Su Heng was from Changge County, and the Changge Su family was quite well-known in Yingchang Mansion. Su Heng's father, Su Liang, was the county magistrate of Xuchang during the Zhenghe period, and later served as an official in Yushitai for many years. After the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, Then he went back to his hometown to find a job.

Su Liang has always been looking forward to the Northern Expedition of Master Wang, but year after year, Jiangnan's gentleness has worn away the vigor of the monarchs and ministers of the Great Song Dynasty, and also worn away Su Liang's hope, so he agreed with his son Su Heng to go to Bianliang to participate in the Puppet Qi He passed the imperial examination and passed the examination in one fell swoop. He returned to his hometown with honor and became the magistrate of Xuchang County.

Although Su Heng was born in the pseudo-Qi Imperial Examination and is now an official of the Kingdom of Jin, he is influenced by his father, he is upright, has a clear distinction between public and private, and his ability as an official is very good, he is deeply loved by the people, and is also appreciated by Wanyan Wushu , He was called to work in Bianliang twice, but he declined both times because his father was in poor health.

Hearing that King Yong Chen Qing summoned him, Su Heng was a little nervous. Although he had talked with Zhang Xiao, Chen Qing was different. Chen Qing was the lord, and his fate could be decided with a single word.

Walking into the back hall of the county yamen, Su Heng bowed and said: "The humble Su Heng sees His Royal Highness Prince Yong!"

Chen Qing was admiring a plaque on the back hall with his hands behind his back, on which were written four large characters 'justice in the heart', and the brushstrokes were quite sophisticated. Chen Qing pointed to the plaque and asked, "Whose calligraphy is this?"

Su Heng hurriedly said: "Reporting to Your Highness, it was written by my father, and it was written by my father, and it is for the humble town hall."

"Calligraphy is nice, but do you understand what it means?"

Su Heng didn't know what His Royal Highness King Yong meant, so he had to tell the truth: "When I went to Bianliang to take the imperial examination in humble positions, I was quite entangled because it was a pseudo-qi imperial examination, but my father said that you did not take the imperial examination to be loyal to Liu Yu. It is for the sake of loyalty to the people of Xuchang. Participating in the imperial examination is just a way to achieve the goal. As long as I feel worthy of the common people and justice in my heart, whether the emperor’s surname is Zhao or Liu, so my father wrote these four words to encourage me. The county magistrate of Xuchang also hung it in the inner hall to encourage himself from time to time."

"Whether the emperor's surname is Zhao or Liu", this sentence won Chen Qing's heart.

"Why didn't your father think about going to Lin'an?" Chen Qing asked again.

Su Heng hesitated for a moment, and Chen Qing saw his hesitation, so he smiled and said, "Let's be honest, my surname is not Zhao!"

Su Heng nodded and said: "My father said that in Yingchang Mansion, our Su family is still a character. If we go to Lin'an, we may not even be as good as the watchdog in Xiangguo Mansion."

Chen Qing laughed, "Your father is very wise and knows his own position. Indeed, if he wasn't the Conglong faction who followed the emperor to the south of the Yangtze River, or a famous local family in the south of the Yangtze River, he would have no hope of becoming an official. Many of them went south to the court. Most of the officials are basically serving in vain positions, living in poverty, and dying of depression.”

Chen Qing asked Su Heng to sit down, and asked again: "I always thought that Yingchang Mansion was very rich and everyone could have enough to eat, but I asked the soldiers to provide porridge, but it was beyond my expectation. The porridge shed was full of people. What's the reason for this?"

Su Heng smiled wryly, "Yingchang Mansion is a major food producing area, but it does not mean that the people are rich, and the food is not cheap. The price of food is the same as other places, and it costs two to three hundred yuan a bucket. The monthly income of ordinary people is only two yuan. The money is lower, the price of salt is higher, and the people live just as hard.

In fact, the reason is very simple. If the food price in Yingchang Mansion is low and the people are rich, then wouldn’t the people from other prefectures and counties in the Central Plains all come here, and the county will be overcrowded. It’s just that Yingchang Mansion is a little bit better than other prefectures. During the Puppet Qi Dynasty, various taxes and taxes were as numerous as cow hairs, and the people everywhere were struggling to survive. It was normal for people to starve to death, but no one died of starvation in Yingchang Mansion, even if they were beggars, they could still get a bite of food. "

"I understand what you mean. Yingchang Mansion is just a group of poor brothers who live a little better."

"Reporting to Your Highness, the biggest feature of the Yingchang Mansion is that there are many official farms, and every county government can control a lot of food, and Xuchang County is no exception, so the low-level office can help the elderly and orphans."

Chen Qing said indifferently: "So there are not many clean and honest officials in Yingchang Mansion, and their reputation is not very good, because they have too much food?"

"Your Highness, it also depends on the specific situation. For example, the humble official's family is very rich, and our family also owns a lot of land. We harvest a lot of food every year, so the official food is not rare for the humble official, and we can distinguish between public and private. Compared with money, a lowly position values ​​reputation more, and the truly clean and honest officials are probably only Li Zhixian in Yancheng."

Chen Qing nodded: "Shen Guotai recommended you to me. He praised you for your outstanding ability and clear distinction between public and private. It seems that he is right."

Su Heng blushed, "Shen Tong's sentence is too high and low!"

"You don't need to be modest. Since justice is in your heart, then you should try your best to do things well. From now on, you will be the general judge of Yingchang Mansion, and stabilize Yingchang Mansion as soon as possible."

Su Heng was overjoyed, and quickly bowed and said, "Thank you for your great love, I will definitely do my best to manage Yingchang Mansion for Your Highness!"

……

Su Heng hurried back to the mansion, and met his father in the study room of the inner house. Although the Su family is a famous family in Changge, if they want to become a famous family in Yingchang Mansion, they must move to Xuchang County where the mansion is located. It is still in Changge County, but the main figures of the Su family have already lived in Xuchang.

Su Liangnian was about fifty years old, he was very handsome, and he always squinted a pair of slender eyes. His calligraphy was very good, and he was well-known in both the official and literati circles of Yingchang Mansion.

When he closed his eyes, he played with Yingchang Mansion, but when he opened his eyes, he stared at the whole world.

How could he not see Chen Qing's determination to forge ahead and grow stronger day by day?

But how can the Su family get into Chen Qing's eyes? Su Liang has been thinking hard, but accidents always come when he least expects it. The eldest son came back and told him that he had been appointed by Chen Qing as the general judge of Yingchang Mansion. It really made Su Liang ecstatic.

"Haier and Counselor Zhang Xiao also chatted, and I heard that Shen Guotai recommended Haier to King Yong."

"It's him!"

Su Liang really didn't expect it, he asked in puzzlement: "How does Shen Guotai evaluate you?"

"He said that Hai'er has a clear distinction between public and private affairs, and has outstanding abilities. King Yong also attaches great importance to incorruptibility. He also specifically talked to Hai'er about why I can be a clean and honest official?"

"Then what do you say?"

"Hai'er is telling the truth, Haier's family is rich, there is no need to embezzle the government's food. Compared with food, Haier values ​​reputation more, and then he appointed Haier as the general judge of Yingchang Mansion!"

"It's that simple?"

Su Liang was very surprised. His son's answer was definitely not the best. Although he was very honest, in the officialdom, he had to be hypocritical. The superiors would never be satisfied with this answer. The reason is very simple. You despise food because You are low level, what if you have a million taels of silver in front of you?

The correct answer should be virtue. A gentleman is upright, with no shame in his heart, with his country, and with his people. This is the answer that the superior wants.

Being favored by Chen Qing is definitely not the reason for his son's distinction between public and private. Su Liang walked a few steps with his hands behind his back and asked, "What else did you talk about?"

Su Heng thought for a while, then suddenly said: "King Yong is very interested in the banner my father gave me, fairness is in his heart, does father still remember? The child hangs on the hall of the county government."

"Oh?" Su Liang quickly asked, "What did he say?"

"He asked his father what it means to write these four characters?"

Su Liang asked: "Then how do you answer?"

"The boy told King Yong why I went to Bianliang to take the imperial examination, because my father told me that the imperial examination was not for loyalty to Liu Yu, but for the people of Xuchang. Taking the imperial examination is just a way to achieve the goal. Common people, worthy of justice, it doesn't matter whether the emperor's surname is Zhao or Liu."

Su Liang patted his forehead, and he understood, it was the last sentence, "It doesn't matter whether the emperor's surname is Zhao or Liu!" '

This is the real reason why Chen Qing favors his son. As an official, he is worthy of the country at the top and the people at the bottom, regardless of whether the emperor's surname is Zhao or Chen.

-------------Chapter Dividing Line---------------

Li Qiong's army finally left Yancheng County, and the county magistrate Li Yanjun heaved a sigh of relief. Although Li Qiong's army had a good military discipline, it couldn't stand the crowd!The [-] army had to eat, drink, and live, and there were so many things that Li Yanjun's legs were about to run thin, and he was exhausted from exhaustion.

But to Li Yanjun's surprise, when Li Yanqiong's army set off, it was a signed army, but when it came back two days later, it turned into the Sichuan-Shaanxi Army, and the flags were changed. Although the soldiers refused to say anything, Li Yanjun and his men guessed that something must happen What happened made Li Qiong raise his troops to surrender.

But these have nothing to do with Li Yanjun, he is very tired, he wants to go home and have a rest, and then he still owes others a few books, the money has been collected, and he has to finish copying it to others.

Contrary to Su Heng, Li Yanjun was born in poverty, and he was not born in the imperial examination, but in a government school. Because of his beautiful handwriting, Zhao Yuan, the magistrate of Yingchang, appreciated him and recommended him as the county magistrate of Yancheng.

He has a salary of three pieces a month, and the salary of the county magistrate is so much. The county magistrate has the title of the imperial court, and the salary will be higher. He has a sick mother, a wife who is in trouble, and two children, one son and one daughter. The family of five depended on Li Yanjun’s money to support them. The housing was free, and there was an official house, which was a little better. Better yet, Li Yanjun also took advantage of his beautiful handwriting to copy books for others at night to earn a little money to subsidize his family.

Li Yanjun is indeed very clean and honest. He passes 10,000+ stones of grain every year. Even if he spends a little more, he will be rich. But even so, he is clean and never greedy for a grain of grain. As Su Liang said, A gentleman is open and upright, with no shame in his heart, no shame in his country, and no shame in his people.

It's a pity that such an official offends people very much. No one likes him. The officials in Yancheng County don't like him. Even if Li Cheng admires him very much, Wanyan Wushu also admires him, but it is useless. He is too clean. Blocking other people's money, showing the ugliness of others.

"It's so early today, officer?" When he got home, his wife opened the door for him in surprise. These days, the husband didn't come back until midnight, but today he came back before dark.

"The gang of soldiers finally left!"

Li Yanjun walked into the courtyard and asked, "Did Lao Tian look for me these two days?"

"Lao Tian is the shopkeeper of the bookstore, and has been an old friend with Li Yanjun for more than ten years. He introduced the book copying business to Li Yanjun."

"I came here yesterday to see you!"

Although Li Yanjun is clean, he is very smart, he immediately guessed that coming to see him was just an excuse, in fact he came to urge the book.

"I'll stay up all night to get the books out for him."

The wife really felt sorry for her husband, "The officials are too tired, let's rest for a night! I will write tomorrow."

Li Yanjun shook his head, "It's not easy for Lao Tian. He wouldn't have come if someone hadn't urged him so urgently. The finishing touches to this book cost two pennies. It's all spent, and there's no way to return it to others. Let's work hard." !"

Li Yanjun came to the study room and was about to pick up a pen to copy the book. His wife brought him a cup of tea. At this moment, someone knocked on the door outside. The knock was fast and urgent, "Mr. County, Mr. Li!"

Hearing the voice seemed to be the voice of Wei Hong, the county magistrate, Li Yanjun quickly put down his pen and came to the front yard. His wife had already opened the door, and it was indeed Wei Hong, rushing in like a gust of wind, "Mr. County, hurry back to the county office?"

"What happened?"

"Yong Wang, His Royal Highness Yong sent someone to issue an order, and he is looking for the county lord!"

"what!"

Li Yanjun was taken aback, Yong Wang Chen Qing sent someone to find him, why?

He hurriedly put on his official uniform again, and put on his hat again. His wife tidied his clothes and asked worriedly, "Will something happen?"

"Probably not! Li Dutong has surrendered, and it can be regarded as the Western Army. All counties should have notified it."

As soon as the words fell, someone behind asked: "Excuse me, is this the home of Lizhi County?"

When Li Yanjun turned his head, he saw a civil servant in military uniform followed by several soldiers.

Li Yanjun guessed that they were the people who came to deliver the letter, he hesitated and said: "I am Li Yanjun, but not the county magistrate, but the county magistrate!"

"The county magistrate is not important, as long as the person is right."

The civil official smiled and said: "Yingchang Mansion has been captured by the Western Army, King Yong is short of some manpower, so I would like to invite County Lord Li to take up a post in Xuchang."

Li Yanjun hesitated for a moment and said, "But I've done a good job here in Yancheng."

The civil servant handed King Yong's order to him and said with a smile: "Look for yourself, it must be a good thing. King Yong only used two people. One is Su Heng, the magistrate of Xuchang County, appointed as the general judge of Yingchang Prefecture, and the other is Mr. Li County."

Li Yanjun's wife was excited, "Officer, you should hurry up!"

Li Yanjun hesitated for a moment, pulled his wife aside and said in a low voice, "I haven't finished copying that book yet, if I don't finish it, I will pay him two pennies!"

"Let me borrow some! Otherwise, please ask Shopkeeper Tian to pay for it first, and we will return it to him later. This opportunity is very rare!" Even his wife knew that her husband's luck came when he was favored by King Yong.

The civil servant who sent the letter had very good hearing, and he heard the whispered conversation between the husband and wife. He was amused and moved. He had never seen such a poor county magistrate, and he was worried about two bills. No wonder His Highness asked him for a settling allowance.

The messenger officer hurriedly took out a heavy red silk bag from the horse bag, handed it to Li Yanjun and said with a smile: "This is the settling fee that His Highness rewarded you. Settle your home well, and we will set off tomorrow morning."

Li Yanjun took the red silk bag, his hands sank, he almost missed it, 100 taels of silver weighs six catties!

"This is……"

"This is the settling allowance given to you by His Highness, 100 taels of silver."

Li Yanjun was stunned, one hundred guan of silver, that is five hundred guan of money, he had never received such a large amount of money in his whole life.

……

Three days later, Li Yanjun followed the reporter to the Xuchang Daying Camp. Chen Qing immediately summoned Li Yanjun. Chen Qing now has an important position, and he has been unable to find a suitable person. Now he found that Li Yanjun was tailor-made for this position. Candidates.

"The humble Li Yanjun sees His Royal Highness King Yong!" Li Yanjun bowed deeply.

Chen Qing took a look at him and saw that he was about 34 to [-] years old, with a thin appearance and clear eyes. He looked like a very upright official.

"Magistrate Li, please sit down!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Li Yanjun sat down on a chair next to him.

Chen Qingxiao asked: "You came from a government school, how did you become the county magistrate of Yancheng?"

"Beizhi has been serving as a teaching assistant in the prefectural school. He met the later magistrate Zhao Yuan. He admired him a lot and recommended him to be the county magistrate of Yancheng. It has been five years."