Dress to be a celebrity

The sound of "Assassin" suddenly startled the guards in the left and right main rooms and side rooms, and disorderly footsteps and shouts sounded at the same time.

The light from the main house spilled into the courtyard through the open door.Under the dim light, there was a long, thick black shadow in front of Huan Ling, and the Longquan sword pierced into the shadow.But in the place where the shadow can't cover, you can still see four or five clearly recognizable figures of men.

Song Shi closed his eyes, letting himself get used to the darkness in the courtyard, raised his sword and rushed to Huan Ling's side, sweeping his sword at the person closest to him.Those people didn't seem to have any weapons in their hands, so they took a few steps back. Huan Ling drew his sword and stepped forward, grabbing the neck of the person he stabbed, and shouting to the surroundings: "If you want his life, step back!"

Song Shi went up and stood with his back facing him, raised his sword in front of him to protect him, and raised his voice: "Put down your weapon, put your hands on your head, and take down those who resist immediately!"

Those people yelled "Grand Master" a few times, as if begging for mercy, and there were also some vague and sharp cries in the wing room.Song Shi vaguely felt that the voice was not quite right, unlike the tone he was used to hearing after coming to Hanzhong, it seemed harder and more difficult to understand, could it be that he is not a local?

However, this idea only turned in his mind for a while, and before he could think about it, he heard a bang, and the doors of the rooms where the yamen servants lived were knocked open from the inside, and the door leaves slammed heavily on the earthen wall.The loess between the walls and the withered grass on the roof rustled down, and a group of servants in disheveled clothes, but all holding water and fire sticks, steel forks, simple knives, and ropes crowded into the yard, and pounced on those men like wolves and tigers.

The people under Huan Ling's subordinates screamed miserably: "My lord, please forgive me, the villains are not gangsters!"

There was also a strong man who tried to resist, but Cai Bantou personally rushed up to hold his hands and feet, twisted his back and tied him up.He took these people's hair and turned to the chancellor, and reported back: "The one injured by your lord is the owner of a family surnamed Wu. This young man helped us feed the horses, but those guys were unfamiliar. I'm afraid there is something wrong." When the young ones knocked on the door, they refused to open it. Sure enough, they were good people, but if the young ones ransacked his house, all men, women and children were tied up?"

Elder Song listened to the cries of the elderly, women and children in the wing room, and thought of the woman holding the child. He couldn't help but feel a bit moved. He stared at the guards who tied their hands, and ordered: "There is no need to make such a big noise. Press These four squat down and interrogate on the spot! Let a few people look around, fasten the doors and windows of those rooms, and don’t let anyone come out. Look at the gate again, and be careful that there are people outside.”

Block the doors and windows, and keep those old and young imprisoned in the room. If there is something wrong, call the village elders and village chiefs to ask questions tomorrow morning.

Captain Cai took the order, and immediately asked someone to go back to the house to take the pine branches for lighting, and do things according to the adults' instructions——

The family is poor, and there are not many lamps and candles, and the two adults have to use lamps to work hard. The only oil lamps and candles are tightly attached to them first, and others have to use pine branches to smear pine resin for lighting.In fact, when the pine resin burns, it is brighter than an oil lamp, and there is only a little smoke, which is close to the eyes.But after getting the lighting in the yard, it illuminated this empty yard as bright as day, and there was nowhere to hide.

Song Shi originally wanted to watch the guards arrest people, but Huan Ling was afraid that there were other assassins hiding in the courtyard, so he was worried about him, so he asked him to interrogate the prisoners here, and led the people to search the courtyard with his sword.Song Shi always listened to his persuasion, seeing him patrolling the courtyard, he seemed to be in no danger, so he ordered people to carry the four caught into the house, and provoked the one named Huan Ling to stab him with the long sword in his hand. The man's chin, and interrogated coldly: "Who are you, why did you spy on me and the inspector in the middle of the night? Now that you have been arrested, how dare you complain to me?"

The man had stab wounds on his body, and his voice was low and hoarse, and he said weakly: "The little ones are not... The little ones dare not..."

A thin man next to him who was injured for resisting the guards struggled up, rushed to this side, and shouted in that kind of nasal and dull voice: "We are the ones who implicated Angkor, my lord spared him, kill him if you want to kill him!" us!"

The young man who had fed the horses for the servants also knocked his head on the ground, and cried, "My lord, forgive me, but it was the villain who was feeding the horses for the adults outside. When I heard some Kuaishou brothers say that the two adults are honest officials, I thought about it." The adults are high-ranking officials from the capital who are able to manage affairs, so they decided to bring Brother Zheng and the others to sue for grievances! But these brothers are afraid of meeting the officials, afraid that the adults will not believe their words, and they will be arrested instead. Only then did they take them under the window to eavesdrop on the two adults, and let them know that the two adults are really honest officials..."

Just under the window, I heard them talking about transporting stones, building roads, and building wharves.Because their brothers are working as trackers and porters on both sides of Hanzhong to make a living these days. Hearing them talk about road construction and material transportation, they feel that they can find more life. The thief took it.

Song Shi listened to him quietly, pointed to the injured man and said, "Your brothers are all named Wu? Or is it just his surname Wu, and others live here under false names? I can tell that you don't have a local accent. Where are you from?" , can you guide me about the road defense?"

The men hesitated for a moment, and did not dare to answer immediately, but the guards next to them rushed to answer: "Young man, the voices of those men seem to be from the border area. The younger ones beat me up before asking, maybe they are spies from outside the Guan!"

Song Shi glanced at the crowd underground, and responded indifferently: "You are not honest in front of the government, you should be beaten. First pick up the injured one and beat it... beat forty killing sticks before asking questions."

The guards in Fucheng followed him for a day, and used this pair of water and fire sticks as a ruler to measure the length of the factory area. It was finally their turn to show their seriousness, and the sticks in their hands were already eager to try.The two of them raised their sticks and thrust them under Wu San's armpit, the other put it on his heels and put him on the ground and he couldn't move, and the remaining one lifted his stick and beat him.

The young man was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly, begging the old man to let his brother go, and he was willing to take the beating for his brother.The three men with non-local accents also hurried forward, and shouted through a few water and fire sticks: "The little ones are willing to admit, the little ones are Gu Yuan's fugitives! I beg you to let Angor Sankor go!"

Guyuan Prefecture!

Isn't Guyuan Prefecture in Pingliang Prefecture?

Pingliang Mansion is facing Ningxia Wei, further north is the grassland, these people escaped from the border?

Is it a deserter or a frontier citizen?

Huan Ling's trip was to follow the king of Zhou to appease Shaanxi's military affairs, so the Song Dynasty was also very sensitive to this point, and waved the executioner to stop, and first questioned the one who claimed to be a fugitive.

Which village did he escape from in Guyuan Prefecture? Before he escaped, he was either an army or a civilian. Why did he escape? Are there any companions here? If there is any concealment, it is not only the Wu brothers, but also the old and weak hiding in this courtyard He will bring women and children back to the government office for trial!

His voice was stern, with the majesty of a nobleman, the younger brother of the Wu family turned pale in fright, knelt on the ground and stammered: "The villain's family is also terrible, and they dare not take in deserters. Brother Zheng and the others are indeed from a good family. It’s because a new guard commander came to Shanxi Town to arrest people to pretend to be Ding Yong, and drag people everywhere, they were afraid of being caught, so they escaped with them and ended up in our Hanshui River!”

The thin man named Zheng Da rushed forward, with some dirty tears in his eyes, he said angrily: "We are the ones who have troubled Angor Sankor and my younger brother, but we are really not deserters, we are not on the military register! Master Mingjian , the small people were originally from Zhangyibao, Guyuan Prefecture, and rented some fields for generations. The small ones lived in Yanchuan, barely supporting a large family.

"However, in the past two years, Dalu entered the pass, plundered and murdered everywhere. Last year, I heard that tens of thousands of officers and soldiers died. The emperor was alarmed, and a censor was called to investigate the matter. Several officials were arrested, and new generals were replaced. Guarding. But the new general said that the frontier soldiers are not enough, so the prefectures and counties have to arrest soldiers to serve in the army. But there are old and young in the family of the villains, and I heard that few people who have been on the battlefield in the past two years have come back alive. The villain, all the villains were fascinated by ghosts for a while, and fled to Hanzhong Mansion with a few brothers and family members who usually lived on the river together."

Originally, they wanted to flee farther away, but unfortunately they encountered a peach blossom flood here on the Han River, and the flood swept away several boats, and the people on board were unable to escape.Those who survived were also exposed to rain and cold in the flood, and the boat broke down. Several old people and children almost died of illness here, so they had to sell the broken boat to get medicine for them. Barely survived until today.

"At the beginning, I set up a shed to beg for food outside the city, and later I went to the pier to find a living time. Just in time, the brothers of the Wu family were bullied by several people, so I went up to rescue them. Later, they were taken in by their brothers, and the whole family had a happy family. Where to stand."

Later, they were introduced by the Wu brothers to find some jobs, but they escaped, and when they met the locals, they were three points shorter, and they did not dare to compete with others for jobs, so they could only do the hardest and most tiring jobs.There are also some hungry people from other places outside the city, all fleeing, robbing porridge and work. Fortunately, his brothers are more crowded, grouped together, and stronger than the victims, and they can barely make ends meet.

Refugees!

Compared with refugees, these civilians who escaped military service are simply not a problem!Song Shi gasped, and asked nervously, "There are still refugees fleeing here? When did it happen, and how many times?"

He knows the refugees. If the local and nearby government cannot provide relief, the exiled victims will rush to farther states and counties for food.If someone waved his arms in it, he didn't even need some giant bandits with commanding ability, as long as he could inspire people's hearts and lead people to rush through the city gate, the hungry people who poured in would immediately plunder all the food in that city , and then engulfed more people on the road of exile, even swept across several provinces, and flattened most of the country!

It's not that he thinks too seriously, but that Shaanxi has been a place since ancient times... ah no, it will be the place where rebels will emerge in the next few hundred years. Li Zicheng is from Mizhi County!It brought down the Ming Dynasty and forced Emperor Chongzhen to hang himself!

The efficiency of their disaster relief in the Great Zheng Dynasty was not very good. If the peasant army really revolted and grew stronger, coupled with the threat from outside the Great Wall, the northwest provinces would be corrupted!

Is it caused by floods, droughts and famines, or because of border wars, or is there something hidden?

He asked a few more questions about this, and the men all said: "From last year to this year! Those who fled last year all fled to Guyuan, and some of them who were relatively strong were arrested as young men. I don't know what will happen to the young and old. They only heard that something happened to a minister in the capital, and the confidants who had been placed by him in the army were about to be replaced. There was going to be another big battle in the north, so there were arresters everywhere, and the news spread panic..."

It is still a small number of them who fled south to escape military service because of the frontier army's strong men enlisting in the army.Many people in the Nine Borders area fled to the interior in order to survive because of the frequent invasions of the Dalus and the ravages of the people.Moreover, the cold and heat have been uneven in recent years, and droughts have occurred frequently in Fengxiang and other places. It is even more difficult for the people who have been affected by the disaster to survive, and they can only go into exile.

They said everything they could say, and they didn't dare to lie in the slightest, and they never dared to hide anyone else with the intention of assassinating.I just ask the old man to hold his hand high, don't send them back to Zhang Yibao, and give their family a way out.

A few middle-aged men knelt in front of him and cried, the miserable voices spread from the house to the courtyard, piercing through the thick darkness, casting a layer of misery on the hearts of the government servants and the old and young.

The people locked in the wing room all cried together, begging "Master" to save their lives.The Wu brothers didn't care that they were also guilty of the crime, and kowtowed and begged repeatedly, until the oily skin on their foreheads was damaged and blood oozes out.

Elder Song winked and told people to let Lao San Wu go, and shut him into the side room with his younger brother. He took out a pen and paper and asked the exact location of Zhang Yibao, who was a fugitive. Which way did you go to Hanzhong, and which prefectures did you pass along the way...

Those who can be asked to take him out are all top people in the government office, and they are familiar with Shaanxi—at least they are very familiar with their Hanzhong mansion. , Ask carefully to the end.

When Huan Ling found some harpoons and two homemade bows and arrows in the firewood room and came back, Song Shi also compiled a report, and asked people to take the four men to the next hut for trial. Report to him.

If these people's words are true, I'm afraid that the new generals will do too much. The border is already being raided by the Tatars. unstable.

Song Shi rubbed his brows and said: "When it's dawn, I'll call someone to come over and screen out the locals, the old and the young, and let them take care of them. Let's take these guys back to the mansion and ask them slowly, and we have to call them King Zhou." It is good that His Highness knows about this."

He is the magistrate of Hanzhong, and he can only manage the affairs of one government, but he can't control the affairs outside of Hanzhong.Only King Zhou is the prince who came to comfort Jiubian, and he has to decide everything.

Maybe his idea was not the best, but the purpose of the emperor sending him out was to experience, and he had to experience these things.

Huan Ling looked over the confessions, with a look of remorse on his face, and sighed: "I was ordered to inspect the military equipment in Shaanxi that day, but I should not only inspect the military equipment, but also pay attention to the movements of the people..."

Song Shi raised his hand to cover his mouth, forbidding him to say such words again, and persuaded him: "You were ordered to investigate the malpractices in the army at that time, and the refugees are not within the scope of your investigation. It's easy to see. Besides, at that time there were no people who ran around because they were afraid of being arrested. This matter was originally not your responsibility, and it is still out of your control. .”

What's more, if it is said that Huan Ling was at fault for not finding the refugees at the time, then he was also at fault as a traverser for not considering the issue of the refugees in time.

Fortunately, these disaster victims are just disaster victims. After the catastrophe passed, they only wanted to return to their hometowns. They did not lead to a peasant uprising army that swept across several provinces. This counts everyone as lucky. It is best to quickly find ways to solve the problems of disaster relief, disaster prevention, and appease the people. important.

Song Shi comforted Huan Ling a few words, and suddenly a flash of light flashed in his mind, and he recalled the development of the Little Ice River at this time period on his historical line, as well as the disasters and strange events recorded in the local chronicles in recent years.

As if there is no particularly serious catastrophe in this time period?

The peak of the Little Ice River was at the end of Ming Dynasty and the beginning of Qing Dynasty. Although the previous few dynasties were not very warm, it would not have been flooded and droughted for years, causing chaos like Li Zicheng's all at once.

He lowered his voice, moved closer to Huan Ling, and told him about the climate trend.

Huan Ling also heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this: "Heaven has permanence, it doesn't exist for Yao, and it doesn't perish for Jie. Since you are sure that this dynasty is the previous dynasty where you came from, then the phenomenon of heaven and earth should not change. , it’s just that sentient beings are changeable.”

The world is not benevolent, and treats everything as a straw dog.Since it is a sacrificial object woven out of straw, the people who weave it need to be more careful, so there are subtle differences in the finished things.

Song Shi smiled and assured him: "At first, I also thought that there would be a big change in the parallel space, but at the second lecture meeting, the Suzhou talents Zhu and Xu we met were celebrities in my previous life. And now the governor Mr. Yang, the right servant of the Ministry of War on the three sides, has already become old in another world..."

It was also the most famous one in the Ming Dynasty, known as the Sanyang Cabinet; it was also they who promoted the most peaceful "Rule of Benevolence" in the history of the Ming Dynasty.

Huan Ling was full of surprise and said: "I knew that Yang Shilang was proficient in the art of war. When he was young, Ma Shangshu repaired the Great Wall around the Hetao area, and he also wiped out the wandering bandits in the setter. If he can be the chief assistant in that world, he will be the chief assistant." It is said that his strength and knowledge are not only in the Ministry of War, but also have the ability to stabilize the world, so he should be invited to discuss this matter!"

The king of Zhou was young, and the two of them were not only young but also humble, so they really should find this old man to assist His Royal Highness Zhou Wang!

Song Shi also nodded heavily: "It's not too late. I will report this matter to His Highness when I get back, and I ask His Highness to send someone to welcome Lord Yang."

Fortunately, Mr. Yang is the governor of Shaanxi, fortunately...

Maybe it's not luck, but today, for the sake of King Zhou, he specially arranged for this capable minister to come here?

What a real dad!

Song Shi had a few words of emotion with Huan Ling, and when it was dawn, he sent Cai Bantou and two quick hands out to find the neighbors, the local head, and the township appointment to identify the person he had caught.

Originally, it was not far from the pier, and most of the people rented houses for Lifu on the pier, and some people from the countryside came to visit their relatives. At first, no one cared that there were more people in his family.Now that a guard found him, all the neighbors were afraid that there might be villains among them, and they would implicate themselves in some crime, so they rushed to identify all the people born in his family who were not from the local area.

Some people even took the initiative to testify that a certain neighbor or wealthy family took in foreigners of unknown origin, who on the pier had a bad accent, and sounded like they fled to Hanzhong from northern Shaanxi, Ningxia, etc...

Song Zhifu cordially received several real-name complainants, and affirmed their spirit of reporting problematic personnel in a timely manner.Then he told them that he was not traveling to catch thieves, but to see how the environment is and whether the roads are smooth, and he wants to hire people to repair bridges and roads, build houses and waterwheels, and build an industry on the bank. .

Bracket, park.

But instead of conscripting labor, it is a day's work for a day's work and food, regardless of locals or foreigners, giving these poor and landless people a chance to earn money to support their families.

His old man started working at both ends, and what he lacked was labor force, and these two months were the critical juncture of harvesting wheat and planting rice seedlings, and the local people with land would never abandon their land for him to do projects, so he did not intend to repatriate these other places workers.Even the few who were caught, if they hadn't spied on high-ranking officials first and were suspected of assassinating, they wouldn't have been tied up and taken back.

He only asked Cai Bantou to remember the people and addresses mentioned by the complainants, and wrote a note in his own handwriting to be handed over to Nanzheng County. People are willing to work hard to identify whether there are any refugees from other places among them, and how they got here.

He gave thousands of instructions in the note that he should not disturb the people when he asked the book office and the servants to go to the countryside.The two of them have arrested several people so far, if there are any more officers interrogating them like catching thieves, I am afraid that everyone who can escape will have to escape cleanly.

These refugees are not only the builders and workers of his future factory area, but they may also have to shoulder the important task of explaining the real life of the people in various prefectures and counties to King Zhou and Mr. Yang Future Ge!

He also ordered the elders of the village to guard the Wu brothers and the old and weak women and children in the yard, and gave them a piece of silver in front of the Wu brothers and the four Pingliang men, and told the elders: "These people Last night, you have been tossing all night, so you can get them some food first, so as not to make them hungry."

There were only a few men who were suspected of assassination, but they clearly had weapons on them, and they didn't use them when listening to the corner, so this suspicion can also be cleared.Although their family members are not people who have lived in Hanzhong for generations, they have moved here and can contribute to the construction of a new Hanzhong.

After settling the matter here, the two asked the guards to take the man caught last night on horseback, and rushed back to Fucheng to face King Zhou.

General Laliang’s family joined the army at the border, frightening the people to flee; frequent droughts in northern Shaanxi caused refugees to go to other places for food many times; There are even more coming out, I am afraid that some cities have not many people except the defenders. How can such an empty city guarantee logistics and how can the soldiers stick to it?

These are all things Zhou Wang, the prince of Zhenfu, needs to think about for himself.

Huan Ling left Zheng Da and others outside the hall, under guard, and went into the hall with Song Shi to meet the king of Zhou, and succinctly told what he saw and heard when he and Song Shi stayed overnight among the people last night.After finishing speaking, he bowed and asked: "Your Highness, how do you think this matter should be dealt with? I just followed what those Pingliang refugees said last night. Does Your Highness want to meet those refugees from Pingliang Mansion? Or meet and catch them?" Yamen servant?"

The king of Zhou pursed his lips and thought for a while before he said: "If such a thing really happens, the relationship in the northwest is in danger. I thought that the northwest can be pacified after the generals of the Wai, Ma, and Ma clans are abolished. It will cause such a big trouble again..."

He wished he could fly to Pingliang immediately to see the situation there, and then look at the people displaced by the famine in the state capital.But just when he was about to say "go", when he looked up and saw Huan Ling and Song Shi who were sitting down and looking at him with breathless breath, he suddenly felt alarmed, remembering that the purpose of his coming to the northwest was to "calm the morale of the army" Four characters, the body that was about to straighten up just now fell back steadily.

The Ma family did not do anything when they seized power before, but now Wei Guogong and his family are eager to seek power and show their face in front of the father, so that they do many disturbing actions. No wonder the father sent him to the northwest to calm the morale of the army.

Those in charge can neither be sloppy, nor can they be greedy and impatient!And if he can't be calm as a prince, the officers, officers and people under him will definitely watch his actions and be moved, so it would be better if he didn't come?

He closed his eyes, stabilized his mind, and asked: "The two adults already knew about this matter last night, so they must have already made up their minds. Why don't you come and listen to this king?"

Huan Ling immediately stood in front of Song Shi, and said bluntly: "Master Song, as the prefect of Hanzhong, arrested these people because they are suspected of assassinating the imperial court officials, but they are not good at overstepping their powers and counseling military affairs. The real power ministers should be invited to discuss this matter with everyone." will be dealt with."

Yes, he was upset.

The governor and governor of the Northwest are the ones who should take care of this matter and discuss this matter with him!

There are also those officers and soldiers who arrested the strong men, and the magistrates who ruled the refugees. As a prince, he can't easily go on tour, so they should send someone to answer...

King Zhou was thinking about how to write letters and how to arrange for people to deliver letters. Song Shi also got up and said: "I dare not participate in military affairs. I only know that this Hanzhong mansion will be healed, supply the Northwest army with food, take in the exiled people, and give them a place to live." It is the duty of a subordinate official to be self-reliant and self-sufficient."

Although he refused to speak out, but when he mentioned the future plan of Hanzhong Mansion, the words made King Zhou feel a little more at ease—as if Song Shi said so, Shaanxi will not be chaotic, and he will really be able to provide food for the Northwest Army , It seems to support the refugees to live in peace.

King Zhou smiled and said to Song Shi approvingly, "Mr. Song can be said not to bother you."