Ouyang Xiu has been confused by Su Jin, he doesn't know how many tricks this kid has, he has been in the court for more than ten years, and he has encountered too many tricky things, which one of them is not resolved by his own ability, but today in front of Su Jin, how can he seem so mentally retarded, as if he has fallen into the trap arranged by this person everywhere, he is unwilling, but he is helpless.

"Which two big cases?" Ouyang Xiu blurted out, eager to slap himself twice, he wanted to say: "This official works hard to do errands, thinks about the society, and brushes his sleeves when things are done, and hides his merit and fame." "But I just can't say it.

"Fallen! The official has fallen. Ouyang Xiu sighed in his heart.

Su Jin smiled and said mysteriously: "Lord Zhongcheng, do you know why I want to fight to the death to exterminate the bandits in Bagong Mountain?" ”

Ouyang Xiu rolled his eyes and said, "Is this still a reason?" Bandits and troubles always have to be eliminated; Besides, the bandits took away the grain you relieved in Yangzhou, so you naturally want to snatch it back. ”

Su Jin smiled and said: "Lord Zhongcheng is only half right, and the lower officials are not afraid that Lord Zhongcheng will look down on him, let me tell you the truth, clearing out bandits is not what I, a classless grain envoy, should do, that is the responsibility of the state capitals on Huainan Road near the left, and I can't afford to go to this troubled water." ”

Ouyang Xiu said: "Although what you said is selfish, it is also the truth, and the extermination of bandits is a matter for the local state capital garrison; But when you attacked the mountain, why did you refuse the assistance of the soldiers of Shouzhou and Luzhou? Wouldn't it be so risky to have help? ”

Su Jin smiled and said, "Do adults think I'm a fool?" Don't I know that these bandits are fierce, and thousands of men and horses in various state capitals have been wiped out several times and returned with feathers? I, a person who has never led troops to fight, with more than a thousand people to fight against these bandits, what are the odds of victory? I'm afraid it's not even half of it. ”

Ouyang Xiu said: "Yes, this official is also very puzzled, why do you want to refuse assistance, is it really to take credit for yourself?" ”

Su Jin took a sip and said: "These words are just to deceive fools, and if you think about it with your ass, you can know that these words are clearly framing the lower officials." ”

Ouyang Xiu reprimanded: "Pay attention to the words, are you talking to me?" Do you mean that the emperor sent me to investigate this matter because it was brainless? It's too bold. ”

Su Jindao: "I didn't say that, the emperor was deceived, the emperor is in the palace of the capital, and it is understandable that he doesn't know the fierceness of the bandits in Bagong Mountain, but those people in the court are all better than ghosts, if you want to say that they don't understand this truth, I don't believe it; To put it clearly is to rectify people, and my heart is like a mirror. ”

Ouyang Xiu said suddenly: "Is it a whole person, it's not that you said it, one of the purposes of this official is to find out the truth, if you are really wronged, wouldn't finding out the truth just be able to restore your innocence?" ”

Su Jin shook his head and said: "There is no need to check at all, the evidence is in my hands, as soon as I tell Lord Zhongcheng, you will understand everything." ”

Ouyang Xiu said: "Then what are you still talking about?" Since you have evidence to prove your innocence, why didn't you show it to the official earlier, do you want to hide something? ”

Su Jin said: "It's not that I don't want to show it, but this matter is too big, and I'm afraid that there will be another big basket after I say it." ”

Ouyang Xiu suddenly smiled, squinted at Su Jin and sneered, "Are you afraid of things?" Although the official has not had much contact with you, judging from the things you have done, you are a master who is suspicious of small things; Don't think that the official doesn't know your mind, you can't free up your hand now, once you free your hand, it's no wonder if you don't do it. ”

Su Jin said with a smile: "The adult is really the confidant of the lower official, so he knows that he can't hide the adult's insight; It's true that I'm too busy to take a break, and you know, I can't protect myself, and I don't have the heart to do it; Another reason is that I estimate that this matter will cause a big shock, and I really can't do it with my ability, so I can't bear to say it. But now it's okay, with Lord Zhongcheng here, I'm not afraid of anything. ”

Ouyang Xiu scolded: "Who is a confidant with you? Hugh has to interrupt, if he doesn't know about it, he will be guilty of the same crime as the criminal......" Ouyang Xiu suddenly stopped, he couldn't say this, wouldn't he be thinking about not doing it, and he couldn't take it out in a high-sounding way anymore.

Su Jin pretended not to hear it, and said in a low voice: "This matter starts when I left the capital, when the situation in Yangzhou Mansion was critical and time was very urgent, so I acted separately with Long Zhen, the deputy commander of the Ma Army; After I arrived in Yangzhou, I found that the situation in Yangzhou was even more unbearable than I imagined, every household was closed, the shops on the street were closed, and the streets were full of curfew teams, which could be said to be a ...... Dead City. ”

Ouyang Xiu sighed: "Yangzhou came to my rich and prosperous place of the Great Song Dynasty, has it become like this? ”

Su Jin said: "This is not the main thing, more importantly, the food in the city has run out, most of the people have run out of food, forced by hunger, some of them fled with their families, some of them gathered to make chaos, smashed and robbed the rich, there are several vicious cases every day. In the face of hunger, the law cannot restrain people's desire for life; And the soldiers went back and forth to fight the fire, and the means could only be to arrest with bullet pressure, but how to hold it down? ”

Ouyang Xiu nodded and said: "The strategy of bullet pressure is the next policy, the people are not mobs, but there is no way to live, at this time, it is the right way to quickly mobilize food for relief." ”

Su Jin arched his hand and said: "Lord Zhongcheng Mingjian, the lower officials also think so, the officers and soldiers are arrested every day, and every day there are houses burned down and people die, and the contradictions accumulate little by little, and they will eventually explode. ”

Ouyang Xiu said: "You are right, when the people are not happy, there will be chaos; There are precedents to follow in all dynasties, but did you decide to open a warehouse to release military rations at that time? ”

Su Jin nodded and said, "Xiaguan originally wanted to stay up for a few days and wait for Long Zhen to transport the relief grain from Luzhou, then everything can be temporarily calmed down; But Long Zhen, a dog thief, didn't know what kind of intentions he didn't transport food in Luzhou for a long time, and I estimated that the food could be reached in seven or eight days at most, but this guy has been delayed for more than ten days; A heavy snowfall at the beginning of the month made the situation extremely unfavorable, the heavy snow caused the number of people to freeze to death and starve to death in Yangzhou City skyrocketed, and the high-priced food on the black market exhausted the last bit of valuable belongings of the people, and tens of thousands of people began to flee Yangzhou City; My lord, that's an escape, this is the home where their ancestors have lived for generations, how could they choose to flee from their hometown unless they have to, it's really a tragedy in the world. ”

Ouyang Xiu's mind came to the scene of tens of thousands of ragged and empty stomach people, helping the old and the young to flee on the vast snow, and he couldn't help but sigh; Shengping Song Dynasty is rich Yangzhou to have such a miserable scene, which is really unacceptable; But he believed that what Su Jin said was the truth, and he also asked the local officials about the situation at that time when he came to Yangzhou, and some said that it was worse than Su Jin.

"Xiaguan knows that this snow will inevitably be more difficult to walk on the official road, and the relief grain in Luzhou will also extend the arrival time indefinitely, at this time, Xiaguan learned that there are 100,000 stone of military grain stored in the Yangzhou official warehouse and have not been transported away, my lord, if you were me, what would you do?"

In the face of Su Jin's inquiry, Ouyang Xiu was silent, could it be that he was guarding these grains that could not be transported, allowing the people to starve to death and freeze to death and be displaced? But this is military rations, and if you move, it is the crime of killing your head, and this choice is really a dilemma.

Su Jin didn't ask Ouyang Xiu how to choose, and said to himself: "The lower officials don't know much about the laws of the imperial court, but they still know that tampering with military rations is a great crime of rebellion, but how can I watch the people starve to death under my nose?" What's the use of escaping to a foreign land? Yangzhou is out of food, and other state capitals that are even poorer than Yangzhou will certainly encounter the same difficulties, and these people who fled the famine will eventually not escape death; The lower officials think about it, and they must not be so indifferent to the life and death of the people, and the sage once said: the people are the most important, and the society is secondary; The people can't live, how can we talk about the stability of the society? Therefore, Xia Guan resolutely decided to risk his life to use military food to help the people. ”

Ouyang Xiu didn't say anything, but he secretly stretched out his fingers in his heart, this decision is not something that can be made casually, this kid's courage is indeed not small, and it seems that he is a good official who loves the people, he can choose not to act, and there is a reason to prevaricate afterwards, after all, natural disasters are fierce, and manpower is irresistible; He is not allowed to move the rations, but he is limited by the law, and there is no way to blame him.

"However, the Song Governor did not agree, so you used anesthetics to deal with him and forged his official documents, right?"

"It seems that Governor Song explained more carefully than me." Su Jin teased.

Ouyang Xiu said: "It's understandable for Governor Song to do this, does he also want to learn from you and hide and deceive the officials?" ”

Su Jin bowed and said, "What my lord reprimanded is that only 60,000 stones were sent out of 100,000 stones, and the situation in the city immediately settled down; Xiaguan knew that the 100,000 stone grain would not last for a few days, so he sent someone to Luzhou to urge Long Zhen to transport grain, but he didn't expect to bring back the news that the grain was robbed by bandits. ”

Ouyang Xiu frowned and said, "This official also wants to ask about several doubts here, since you have talked about this, you might as well explain my doubts one by one." ”

Su Jin said: "Dare not obey your fate, but the adults are probably still hungry, don't ask the subordinate to prepare wine and food, how about we talk while eating?" ”

Ouyang Xiu nodded helplessly, he was originally here to get this kid, but it turned into a game of drinking and talking, which he didn't expect.