Chapter 755: Contract, Scruples

First, it is allowed to be bought and sold at the wharf of Chengmai County in Qiongshan on the fifteenth day of each month.

Second, set up a village school and extend the teachings of teachers. Make the excellent pay tribute to the county school, the state school, and the best one will pay the national superintendent.

Third, the official register was reconstructed to register the number of people in each village and the number of acres of land, which was used as a certificate of enlistment.

Fourth, the official tax is limited to three buckets, three liters and five spoons per mu, and in addition to the Tushe Li soldiers, every year when the agricultural slack is not enough, each mountain takes turns to send people, and the government pays for it, and crossroads are opened between the states and counties.

The four seemingly simple agreements, in fact, have been the Wang family's father and son have done everything possible to match, and only then did they get the approval of the big leader of the Thirty-six Mountains. Naturally, the biggest reason for their willingness to serve was because all the capitals were excited about the prospect of halving or even doubling the annual harvest and the constant flow of goods from Lingnan.

So, after the successful contract was signed at Thirty-six Mountains, Zhang Yue directly sent Lu Haishan, the prefect of Qiongzhou, back, but he stayed with Yu Qian. In the past few days, the two took turns to meet with a number of Li leaders who had rushed from the southern part of the central region, and personally promised to appease; On the other hand, Liu Da taught the selected farmers the essentials and know-how of the second and third crops.

On the day of leaving, Wang Zheng, the hereditary leader of the 36 Mountains, not only selected more than a dozen of the strongest young men to carry the bamboo sedan chair and sent 30 elite Li soldiers to escort them, but also personally took the head of the Ying Pass to send dozens of miles. If it weren't for Wang Zhi, who was traveling with Zhang Yue, to persuade these uncles and elders to stop them, I am afraid that this mighty group would have to be sent to Jianjiang all the time.

Compared with the hardships of sleeping in the open when I came, since the escorts were all Li people who grew up in the mountains, walking on the rugged mountain roads was like walking on flat ground, the bamboo sedan chair was carried steadily, and the food and drink were also well served. With the creaking sound of the bamboo sedan chair when it was stressed and the sound of wind and birds around him, Zhang Yue couldn't help but squint his eyes, looking at the small blue sky occasionally exposed in the large expanse of green above his head.

Now it is the wax moon, and it should be a cold winter of ice and snow in the north, but the sun is still shining here, but the mountains are dense with jungles after all, and there is still a little coolness when the breeze blows. There were lush towering trees everywhere, and occasionally a few hares or pheasants ran and flew by, which attracted the shouts of the Li soldiers, and none of them escaped the bow and arrow and rope noose.

After stopping to camp in the evening, the bonfire was quickly roasted with these fresh game, and Zhang Yue's escort Niu Dare carried a lot of spices and spices with him, which were sprinkled on his head, and the air was soon filled with a mouth-warming fragrance. Seeing that Wang Zhigong respectfully handed over half a hare with a tin plate, Zhang Yue took it honestly and unceremoniously, and when he took a bite, it was really fat and juicy, and extremely sweet. Seeing Yu Qian walking over with a tin plate, Wang Zhi tiptoed away.

"Lord Zhang, these days in Li Village, I have heard a lot of rhetoric, and after I go back, I want to abolish the post of Fuli Prefect." Although there was half a fragrant and burnt pheasant in front of him, Yu Qian didn't look at it, and suddenly burst out with such a sentence. Seeing Zhang Yue put down the food in his hand and looked at himself, he said with a straight face, "Although the Fuli prefect is in charge of local officials, it doesn't seem to overlap with the Fuzhou and county officials, but because of the monopoly of Fuli's power, he often does not obey the laws of the imperial court. Thirty-six Ridge has already approved the cashier's service, but it is also mentioned that the Fuli prefect asks him for filial piety every year, and asks Li people to be slaves......"

Therefore, in other people's cottages, there are countless people watching every move, before this road was a dense forest road in the mountains, the bamboo sedan chair of the two can only be one in front of the other, and there are Li soldiers next to them, Zhang Yue naturally knows that Yu Qian's words may not know how long he has been holding back. However, at this moment, he was really hungry, so he raised his hand to interrupt Yu Qian, who seemed to be about to talk.

"Brother Tingyi, these things are not in a hurry. Have you ever thought about it, even if the Li people make a profit by cultivating two crops of rice and three crops of rice, if they are unwilling to pay taxes after repenting? Also, judging from the performance of the prefect Lu Haishan before, it was about the first time he had been to Thirty-six Mountains, and the prefect of Fuli Mao often dealt with these people. If the Fuli officials are dismissed all at once, then how can the local officials know how to appease the Li people? Being in a hurry will only make things out of control, and it is not so easy to run around in Qiongzhou Mansion. The Hao chieftains have ruled this place for generations, so how can they be willing to submit their people to the rule of the Lijia law? ”

Yu Qian saw Zhang Yue smiling and lowered his head again to eat, and couldn't help but be stunned - he didn't mention the Lijia method at all just now, how could Zhang Yue understand his words like an uncertain prophet? Seeing a group of Li soldiers around the fire looking curiously here, Wang Zhi stepped forward again and brought Li Zhai's self-brewed wine, Zhang Yue smiled and accepted it to eat and drink freely, he also put away those thoughts for the time being, and simply filled his stomach.

Almost all the prefectures and counties in Qiongzhou are built around the coastline, and the central part is centered on Limu Mountain. Thirty-six mountains belong to the eastern capital of the Zeng family, located in the south of Ding'an County, next to the South Li capital and the south capital of the capital, this time to hear the news to see Zhang Yue more than one or two hundred people, the identity is not enough is often the thirty-six mountains of the big leader Wang Zheng blocked.

However, on the way back to Zhang Yue, there were still Li clan leaders who came out, most of them inquired about the previous agreement, but there were also a few who specialized in robbing roads in the dense forest to make a living, and wanted to get some oil and water from the official people who looked like rich people, however, the fifty people sent by the 36 mountains were all good hands, and there was no ambiguity in opening the way to kill people along the way, and in the end, the one who opened the way was hung up with two heads high on the flagpole.

For such a barbaric move, Yu Qian, the imperial historian, was naturally extremely disgusted, but Wang Zhi explained that these people scattered in the dense forest were all sinners and prisoners who had been driven out by the tribe, and if they were not deterred, these people were only afraid that they would go to the land one after another to rob, and they would only kill more people when the time came. So, seeing that Zhang Yue was silent, Yu Qian could only sigh deeply.

Due to the return trip straight to Chengmai, the group crossed the Jianjiang River, and the road they took was different from before. When I entered a small town under the jurisdiction of Hainan Wei, although there were many Li people on the road, the number of men and women with tattoos was greatly reduced, and people no longer wore naked clothes. Wang Zhi, who acted as a guide, explained while walking, and the people on the road also cast curious eyes on this mighty line.

In their opinion, the one who can bring so many guards must be the local chieftain, but the men who are clustered in the middle of the bamboo sedan chair are clearly dressed as Han Chinese, which is really a bit nondescript. When Zhang Yue and the others entered the Xifeng Horse Station, the people in the town understood that this was from the government, and they were relieved. That night, Zhang Yue, who had been sleeping in the open for three days, lit incense to ward off mosquitoes in the house, and finally slept peacefully, and Xifeng Horse Station also sent a messenger to Chengmai overnight to deliver the letter. This post station is one of the two horse stations belonging to Chengmai County, about 40 miles away from Chengmai County, and one day and night is enough to make a round trip.

I slept well all night, and the next morning, Zhang Yue was still a little dazed when he opened his eyes. It wasn't until after getting dressed that the little servant Sanqin brought water to serve and wash, and he lazily asked the hour, and when he learned that it was already the hour, he raised his eyebrows in surprise: "Why is it so late, has no one come to urge?" ”

When San Qin, who was busy twisting the towel, heard this, he said with a smile: "I was in a hurry before, and I was tired up and down, and we all got up one after another after Chenzheng, even Yu Shiyu was only a quarter of an hour earlier, and he was just meeting people after breakfast." Just now, the cow outside dared to reply, and both Lu Zhifu and Chengmai Zhixian had arrived, and now they are both there to serve the Yu. By the way, Brother Zhang has also come and is talking to Brother Niu outside. ”

Because Lingxi had a body, Zhang Yue had left Peng Shisan at home to do things with his father Zhang Zhuo, except for Amber, he only brought three guards and two proper servants at home. When he arrived in Qiongshan County before, considering that the road to Lizhai was long and dangerous, he chose two people to escort Amber to Chengmai first. Although Amber had the heart to follow, but there were all big men all the way, and if her men's clothes were exposed, it would be even worse in the eyes of Yu Qian, the imperial historian, so she had to agree. Therefore, at this time, he heard that Zhang Bu, who had been doing business in Chengmai, had also come over, and Zhang Yue hurriedly asked Sanqin to call people in.

Unlike Niu Dang, who has a tendon in his head, Zhang Bu is more thoughtful and clever in handling things, so Peng Shisan said early on that he must be the first among his apprentices to come out of the school. After entering the door to salute, he did not beat around the bush, and directly told the truth about all kinds of things that he encountered after arriving here, especially Cao Jixiang and his arrangement and fight in the Charity Temple. At the end, he whispered: "According to the message that the adults brought with me, I placed my aunt and grandmother in a small courtyard not far from the Qiu family, but because she didn't agree, she never went out. Now that I think about it, I feel that I didn't do the first thing properly, and I shouldn't have listened to Cao Jixiang's words and mobilized the Qiu family without authorization. ”

Zhang Yue looked at this big man who had been a slave to the Tartars in the north with appreciation, and nodded lightly: "You have done a good job this time, not only have no faults, but have meritorious." Although you are astute, there are some things that are not as good as Cao Jixiang, who has been a gangster and has been immersed in the palace for several years, so there is nothing wrong with handing it over to him to plan and command. As for the mobilization of the Qiu family, it should be done at that time. If they don't have this credit, there are some things that I can't talk about, and it will be even more difficult for them to turn over in the future. Just rely on your previous tour from the north and the credit this time, it is not a problem to enter the hereditary hundred households or be suppressed, and I will ask for credit for you at that time. ”

Hearing Zhang Yue say that he had no merit, Zhang Bu was already relieved, but when he heard about the merit and military position, he couldn't help but be taken aback. When he came back to his senses, he saw that Zhang Yue had already sat down to eat, and hurriedly stepped forward and said: "My lord, Da Niu and I are like brothers and sisters, but I only want the four of us to be together, and I don't want any official position." Besides, with all due respect, this military position is ...... now."

He gritted his teeth, and then whispered: "I was in prison in Xuanfu, and then I fought with adults, and I saw some things more clearly than adults. For example, the Xuanfu border army, known as hundreds of thousands, but in fact, most of them are the same as tenant farmers, the low-level military households are poor, and the lower-level officers are like the slaves of the upper-level officers, which is far less sincere than the adults who treat us. It's Jingwei, according to what the master told us, except for the three major battalions, many hereditary officers are rotten from the roots, even if your Tiaochen court adopts it, it hasn't changed much. Instead of being an officer who eats and waits for death, it is more comfortable to follow adults and be able to puff up his chest. ”

Zhang Yue, who was drinking porridge, put down the bowl all of a sudden, and his face suddenly became extremely solemn. He knew very well that the huge Ming army had already dropped sharply, so he had the intention to work the hereditary military position, but he didn't expect that in the eyes of people, the army was still like this. With no appetite at all, he casually pulled those side dishes with porridge and sighed for a long time.

"I know, you just follow me for the time being. There is only one way, there will be such a discovery and thinking in the future, although you tell me, you don't have to have any scruples, you know, after all, we have experienced life and death together. Also, when I looked back and saw your master, you also told him for me, don't beat around the bush for you if there is something, and it is not his way to highlight the apprentice! ”

With such a thing in his heart, when he went to see Lu Haishan and the others after breakfast, Zhang Yue's face was naturally not good. He had received a secret order before, and he could justifiably go to explore the Qiu family, naturally he didn't want to bring a Yu Qian with him, so he excused himself to go to Chengmai County to go around again, and naturally asked Yu Qian to follow Lu Haishan back to Qiongshan to see the Fuli prefect who had been waiting for a long time. When the group left, he sent the fifty Li soldiers who escorted him back to the thirty-six mountains to resume his life, and then set off with Chengmai Zhixian.

Chengmai County Qiu family mansion.

Although he lost his hereditary title and lost his glory and wealth, he has taken root in Chengmai County for more than ten years, and two generations of family heads have worked hard, plus there are also many Xunguiguan who are worried about the old love and send money and things, although the life of the Qiu family is far inferior to the past, but after all, it is still passable. At this time, Qiu Guoyong gathered all the two old brothers in the family who had the right to speak, and told them the news that Zhang Yue, the political envoy of Guangdong Zuobu, was about to arrive in Chengmai, and then coughed lightly and said the most important words.

"Chengmai County is not the seat of Qiongzhou Prefecture, so he may have come this time to serve the emperor's holy will."

The last two words "holy will" suddenly made the second generation of the two Qiu families with gray temples lose their minds. After a while, the man on the left fell to his knees with a thud, and he actually bowed heavily to the north, and immediately fell to the ground and wept bitterly. At this moment, Qiu Guoyong and his other younger brother were also kneeling on the ground. To this day, they can force themselves to forget things such as power and wealth, but the only thing they can't forget is their father Qiu Fu, who was buried in the grassland and couldn't even find his corpse.

After a long time, a low voice sounded in the room: "Second brother, if there is really a holy will, can you forgive us and go back?" ”

In the expectant eyes of the two younger brothers, Qiu Guoyong shook his head stiffly: "Don't forget, when my father was the crown prince, he once supported King Han. Therefore, don't get too much hope, if the emperor can allow us to go out of Qiongzhou Mansion to do things openly because of his previous exploits, we don't have to be so sneaky, it is already a grace of heaven and earth. ”