Reincarnation of the powerful minister

Lingwujian is not far from here, it is the dilapidated two-entry courtyard at the end of the street.Su Yan ordered the servants and some Jin Yiwei to guard the car outside the door, and he led Jing Hong to chase, Chu Yuan and Gao Shuo, and escorted Li Si into the door.

Li Si dejectedly pushed open half of the wooden door, seeing that Chu Yuan was too narrow to push the other half, he immediately wailed: "Don't—"

Before he could finish speaking, the half wooden door that was barely stuck in the frame fell to the ground and smashed to pieces on the steps.

Li Si said with tears in his eyes: "I didn't break it. If the prison is investigating, you should testify for me!"

Jing Hong looked sharply, and found that the door shaft was broken, and the wood of the door panel was almost rotten, she thought to herself what kind of government office is this, it is worse than the people in the market, they can't even afford to replace a new door.Seeing Su Yan raised his head, he also raised his head to look at the lintel, and saw that the three words "Lingwujian" on the plaque had long since faded, exuding an aura of poverty and decay.

"Take me to see your supervisor." Su Yan ordered.

Li Si was afraid of being scolded, so he dawdled and dared not go in, and was stabbed in the back by Chu Yuan's knife handle, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and walk to the front hall.

Before I got up the steps, I heard a loud voice scolding in the hall: "You son of a bitch hasn't come back yet? Could it be that he made money and then went to eat and spend, see if I don't break his legs, and keep him pretending next time!"

Li Si trembled in fright, and screamed: "Master Jianzheng, save me—"

A tall and thick figure walked to the front of the hall, Su Yan and others stepped up the steps, and the two sides exchanged glances.

Su Yan saw that the middle-aged prisoner was born strong, with a yellowish complexion, a haggard complexion, a pair of triangular eyes shining brightly, and a slight squint, showing that his mind was not right.

And the supervisor saw clearly the appearance of the blue-shirted scholar in front of him, and his heart was dark: this delicate skin and tender flesh and whole-body demeanor are definitely not something that ordinary people can raise, whether it is a rich man or a son of an aristocratic family.Did Li Si hit the iron board this time?

However, this little boy has a very sharp eye.He is not from a local prominent family, but is probably the son of a merchant who followed his elders to do business, and he is still young, so even if Li Si makes a mistake and reveals his secrets, he can still fool him.

So he sternly shouted: "What's the matter! Who dares to attack an official, does he still have the king's law in his eyes?"

Jin Yiwei saw that the nine-rank Zhima official spoke rudely, and immediately wanted to draw his sword to reveal his identity, but Su Yan stopped him with his eyes.Su Yan cupped his hands and said respectfully: "Xiaomin dare not. Because he caught a rogue who was suspected of pretending to be an official and carrying out blackmail. Identity, I’m here to ask the truth.”

Seeing that he was being polite, the prisoner was even more determined, and asked, "What is the origin of this young master?"

Su Yan said: "Xiaomin's family is in the tea business, and they heard that the Pingliang Tea Mabian City will open, so they came from afar."

The supervisor smiled and said, "Young master, this guy is indeed a member of the Lingwu Supervisor, but he is not a supervisor's deputy, let alone a registered official, but a temporary worker. If he misbehaves, this officer will never cover him up, and he will be dismissed. As soon as the formalities are completed, the official will personally turn him over to the county government. Look, my lord, is this a proper disposal?"

Go to your grandma's temporary job, Su Yan scolded.He pretended to be taken aback, as if he didn't expect the lord to answer so frankly, and the treatment was considered fair.

The supervisor said again: "Young Master, you can't trust me. I want to stay and wait for the formalities to be completed before going to the county government? This can't be done in a day or two. Otherwise, you can leave me an address, and I will send someone to contact you later. you?"

Businessmen pay attention to making money with harmony and don't like to make troubles, and outsiders inevitably have the idea that a strong dragon will not overwhelm a local snake. Since he has shown his attitude as an official, it is expected that the other party will not pursue him to the end.

Sure enough, the other party hurriedly saluted: "Don't dare to trouble your lord. Since your lord handles it fairly, this matter will come to an end."

When the prisoner saw the merchant's boy leaving with his attendants, he scolded Li Si: "Trash!" Li Si smiled apologetically: "Thank you, Mr. Wang, for your protection. I will make double the money tomorrow."

Wang Jianzheng waved his hand with lingering anger, "Come on, it's only fifty taels a day for you, it's not a big deal, when will I be able to pay off the debt."

Li Si followed him into the hall and offered a suggestion: "It's really not possible, let's go to the pastures in various gardens to see how many horses are there for sale?"

A colleague next to him said: "I have screened earlier, but I can't pick out a few good-looking horses. They are all thin and sick. Even the fodder is moldy, and no one wants to sell it cheaply."

Li Si pondered again: "Why don't Mujun hang around again and catch a group of horses who haven't raised their horses properly and make them pay fines."

"Come on, those Mujuns are poorer than us, and they won't be able to get a lot of money for any fines. Besides, more than half of the Mujuns have fled. I heard that the two temple ministers of Taipu Temple and Yuanma Temple couldn't recruit recruits. When the imperial court played, the Ministry of Punishment sent people who had committed capital crimes from all over the country to raise horses in the army. They were all serious criminals, very cruel, and penniless, let alone extorting a copper coin. It's light."

"Then... I'll bring over the map and draw it to see what pastures are available for sale in each garden?"

"The slightly fatter land was sold in pieces, or the officials in the monastery took it back to plow. The rest is so thin that the grass can't even grow tall, and it's hard to get ears of wheat. Who wants to buy it?"

After thinking about it, Li Si was at a loss. He sighed, "I'll go to the street in the afternoon to see if I can catch a fat sheep."

Wang Jian was sitting on an old Taishi chair, and he was also very discouraged, "There is only so much firewood and silver for three melons and two dates every month, and the family can't support them. They all say, 'It is better to be a county official with no grades than to be a servant. Ma Liangsiqing', regardless of rank, any government office can come and step on us a few times, even low-level military officers such as the chief and the team can ride on our heads. This official is so aggrieved, it is not as good as What about ordinary people with flat heads! Damn, I’m in a hurry, and I’m also imitating our immediate boss, Master Li, Yuanma Siqing, who pretends to be sick every day and doesn’t go to the government office.

Li Sixin said: "Don't you just get paid and do nothing now? You like to drink and drink, and you like to sleep and sleep?"They also force those of us who are subordinates to hand in silver taels every day to repay your debts.

Beside the window outside the hall, Chu Yuan heard his eyes full of anger, and said in a low voice through gritted teeth: "Selling military horses and fodder, privately occupying and selling pastures, blackmailing the herdsmen, ignoring their duties...these temple supervisors are all dereliction of duty and breaking the law. Do you think the sky is high and the emperor is far away, so no one can control them?" He raised his knife and asked Su Yan: "My lord, go in and take them down?"

Su Yan shook his head: "There are a few small shrimps. It's no fun to catch them. Instead, they will scare the snakes. According to the information they revealed, first go to the various gardens to see the situation of the pastures and horses, and then go to the barracks of the frontier army. When the situation is almost mastered Now, go to Taipu Temple and Yuanma Temple, and ask the two Lord Qings for an explanation."

The four of them listened for a while, until Jian Wang was leaving, and the three officials inside started to bet on leaf games again, using the winning or losing to determine the next person to go out to make money, and then quietly left Lingwu Supervisor.

Back beside the carriage, Su Yan asked Gao Shuo to take out the map and check the location of each garden.

Gao Shuo drew several circles on the picture with his fingers, and explained: "The local prison temple has long been incomplete. In the past, there were six prisons and 24 courtyards, but now there are only two prisons and six courtyards. The two prisons are the spirit Wujian, and Changle Supervisor. The six gardens are Kaesong, Guanning, Anding, Qingping, Wan'an, and Heishui."

Su Yan was dizzy with a bunch of garden names, and asked directly: "If the pastures in the six gardens are fully utilized, how many war horses can you raise at most?"

Gao Shuo replied: "Grasslands are divided into fat and thin, and it is difficult to calculate accurately without measurement and survey. I estimate that the most that can be raised... is not [-], but [-] horses."

Su Yan took a deep breath: "One hundred thousand? The incomplete Liuyuan of the Shaanxi First Division alone can guarantee the rotation of one-third of the cavalry and war horses in the country. If the number of supervisors in the past is restored, wouldn't it be enough to supply it? ?In addition, there are Taipu Temples in Shanxi and Liaodong!

"You know, according to the report sent by Xingtaipu Temple in Shaanxi, how many horses are there in the supervisory garden? It is said that there are only [-] to [-] horses! The abolition of the horse administration is simply shocking!"

Before leaving, he dutifully checked the relevant materials of the Ministry of War, and the emperor silently granted him sufficient access.It is learned from this that the cost of raising a cavalry team is three times that of an infantry team, but training the cavalry well, and the combat effectiveness of nearly ten times that of the infantry will be the best return.In the past, Genghis Khan and his descendants relied on an invincible Mongolian cavalry to sweep across the Eurasian continent and became the "God's Whip".The most basic thing to train cavalry is horses. Without enough horses, cavalry is like cooking without rice.

The imperial court was also well aware of the importance of war horses to a country's military strength, and has always emphasized: "The great government of the country lies in the army, and the great government of the army lies in the horses."Shaanxi has a wide range of land and convenient water and grass. It is a great joke to be able to raise war horses like this.

After hearing this number, several Jin Yiwei showed surprise and indignation.

Su Yan frowned. He didn't know if he was talking to himself, or he was telling them, "For the time being, it's not counting the source of stallions, but considering the conditions for raising horses, the official herds are more than enough. If it works well, there is no need for civilian herdsmen at all! The household horse law is completely fine. abolition."

Gao Shuo hesitated and said, "I'm afraid it's not easy to abolish the law of the ancestors."

Su Yan thought for a moment, his brows slowly relaxed, and he smiled: "Isn't this the purpose of my trip? It's easy to do, but difficult to do."

Otherwise, how would we face those poor people who sold their sons and daughters, the displaced Mahu soldiers, and the bloody frontier soldiers?How to face the emperor who entrusted him with great responsibility and love?

Jing Hongzhui didn't want to participate in the topic of their discussion, she just sat quietly on the shaft of the car, her two long legs dangling casually, holding the honeydew melon and peeling it with a throwing knife.Two honeydew melons, a few grapes and a small ice bucket are sold at a very high price in this remote town, and he spent a lot of money that Su Yan rewarded just now.

Su Xiaojing was greedy, and walked around him, wanting to ask for a piece first, but was slapped by Su Xiaobei on the back of his hand that was about to move.

This is for adults, not for you.Jing Hongzhui glanced at them, wanting to eat and buy it herself.

Su Yan finalized the route and decided to leave the town after buying and replenishing supplies. First, he went to Qingping and Wan'an to check the pastures and horses, and then went to the Mujun and Bianjun barracks near the two gardens.

At the same time, a thousand elite cavalry sent by governor Wei Quan and led by Sheng Qianxing were starting from Yan'an Mansion, following the route Su Yan had passed, and chasing towards this town.Three days later, when Sheng Qianxing arrived in this town, he inquired at the post station, and learned that Su Yan's carriage turned a corner and went nowhere, and almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.

Right now, this guard army, which is always one step late, is still eating ashes on the road.While Su Yan was sitting in the carriage, Jing Hong chased and put the honeydew melons cut into neat small pieces on a plate, chilled them in an ice bucket, and delivered them to the adults of his family.

"It's hot, sir, eat some melons and fruits to relieve the heat."

"Thank you, let's eat together." Su Yan smiled and poked a piece with his bamboo pick.

Jing Hong chased and shook her head.Su Yan stuffed a piece into his mouth, and put Picking Teeth on his hand.Jing Hong chased after eating two or three yuan, and said that she didn't like sweets and couldn't eat any more.

So Su Yan hugged the plate, swallowed his mouth full of sweet juice, felt his scorching body being irrigated with ice, let out a long breath, and asked, "What does Ah Zhui think about the Shaanxi Mazheng?"

Jing Hongzhui subconsciously wanted to answer "not interested", or "it has nothing to do with me", but hesitated for a while, and changed her words: "It sucks."

Su Yan nodded: "It's like a patient with terminal cancer. There are lesions from top to bottom, and I don't know which organ to start from."

"Advanced cancer?"

"It's a terminal illness." In front of him, Su Yan no longer had the calm and controlled smile he had when facing everyone just now, but poured out his inner worries, "What I saw and heard today is already very unbearable. , but I am worried that this is just the tip of the iceberg, and there are more intricate interests and more powerful forces involved. But to smash this iceberg and cut off the lesion, I am not sure if I can do it... ...Even if it is done, I can't guarantee that the ship can sail smoothly and the patient can be brought back to life... Ah Zhui, I have a little way."

Jing Hong raised her eyes and fixed her eyes on him: "When you just came back from Dongyuan, your lord thought of Feng Qu'e, who was always planning to assassinate you in the dark, and made up his mind to beat Dengwen Drum, did you feel the same way?"

Su Yan nodded, a little embarrassed: "I looked calm and confident at that time, but I was actually quite panicked. I was worried that if things didn't work out, it would be a small thing to be backlashed, but it would be a big deal to drag Shen Qi into the water and ruin the emperor's arrangement. "

Jing Hongzhui automatically blocked an annoying name, and asked again: "What about the end?"

"It's done."

"The old thief Wei also wanted to deal with you, what happened?"

"An arm was cut off by you. Before leaving Beijing, I heard that the emperor ordered people to punish him and the Marquis of Xian'an. He was seriously injured and was so angry that he vomited blood. I don't know how long he can survive."

"Although I haven't read any books, I know a word - do your best and obey the destiny."

Su Yan sighed: "Yes, do your best and obey the destiny."

Jing Hongzhui looked at him with a pair of star-like eyes, and a faint smile appeared on her lips: "Mo Fang, my lord is destined by heaven, and heaven will help you."

"...You also came here through time travel?"

"what?"

"You said 'Mo Fang'."

"I learn the adult's accent, and the adult's ancestral home is Fujian?"

Su Yan was amused: "Do you think that when Fujian people laugh out loud, they always say 'Fat Fa Fa Fa'?"

Jing Hongzhui looked at his face intently, as if wanting to engrave a frown and a smile in her heart, she blurted out: "My lord should smile more."

Su Yan put the plate aside, stretched his waist, and the worry in his brows and eyes disappeared. "Thank you, Ah Zhui." He said sincerely.

Jing Hong chased and shook her head: "In terms of state affairs, I can't help adults, and I can't compare to those learned scholars, or even Jin Yiwei who is well versed in officialdom."

"I said, you have your good. I know your good." Su Yan grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously, "It is my greatest luck to have you with me on this trip."

Jing Hongzhui let the sticky melon juice between his fingers smear her hands.

Su Yan smiled embarrassedly, wiped his hands with a wet handkerchief, and handed him another one.

Jing Hong chased after her and put it beside her.

After a while, Su Yan dozed off from the shaking of the carriage.Jing Hong chased after he fell asleep, raised her hand, and carefully licked off the juice that he had stained on her fingers.

so sweet.