Last month, Cai Yong and Wang Jian selected a place in Hanging Urn Mountain and began to build a school. Xu Rong didn't say a word, and asked Tang Yun to allocate 200 million yuan to Mr. Cai and Mr. Wang first. From the construction of the school house to the preparation for the opening of the school, Xu Rong handed over all the things to the two of them. The two gentlemen had money and their spirits were greatly boosted, and they immediately gathered craftsmen to build houses, and at the same time sent invitations to celebrities and friends from all over the world, hoping that they could come to Jinyang to teach and contribute to the stability of northern Xinjiang.

Cai Yong wanted to move the tens of thousands of books stored in Chen Liu's hometown to Jinyang, and when Zhang Yan heard about it, he was overjoyed and immediately asked Duwei Sun Qin to personally take two hundred people to accompany several of Cai Yong's disciples to the south. Zhang Yan said to her grandson: "People can die, but they can't lose a single book." When Cai Yong heard this, he was greatly moved and thanked him repeatedly. Zhang Yan said that it was a problem for us untouchables to live in the past, let alone study. Nowadays, the children of untouchable families can also enter the school, and they can also be taught by famous people such as Mr. Cai Yong said with a smile, this is all thanks to the mighty imperial grace of the Son of Heaven.

Cai Yong has a grand idea, he plans to build the Jinyang School this year, and at the same time restore the county schools in Taiyuan and Shangdang counties, and then restore the 29 county schools in the two counties, and in the next two years, he plans to set up small schools in the more populous villages, and in the future, he also plans to open schools in various parts of northern Xinjiang to recruit the children of the Hu people. He told Zhang Yan that these things must be done with the help of adults, otherwise it will be difficult to do. Zhang Yan was very excited after hearing this, patted her chest and said, "Although Sir, although driven, I should spare no effort and help with all my heart." ”

After Xu Rong heard this, he couldn't cry or laugh.

Zuo Yan said to him: "To fulfill Mr. Cai's wish, how much does it cost?" How many silent and dedicated scholars are needed? Don't say a few years, even more than ten years may not be possible. Mr. Cai's heart to serve the country is admirable. ”

Li Wei said with a smile: "As soon as Mr. Cai opened his mouth, the adults gave 200 million money without blinking their eyes, Mr. Cai must be thinking, this Zhenbei General's Mansion is very rich, and he can do whatever he wants, so of course he has to do a lot of work." ”

Xu Rong smiled and said to Xiao Lan, who was sitting on the side: "If you have time, you can visit Mr. Cai and Mr. Wang, and reveal a little about the recent situation in Northern Xinjiang, I hope they can understand our difficulties. ”

＝＝＝

From the beginning of the first month, the salt and iron in Bingzhou and Hedong entered a high-yield period under the supervision of Xie Ming, the governor of salt and iron. More than a dozen wealthy merchants from all over the country who have obtained salt and iron business licenses have invested a lot of money in the Yanchi iron mine, and the number of craftsmen who cook salt and mine has multiplied, and the vehicles transporting salt and iron have crowded the land and water roads. At the same time, due to the high yield of salt and iron, it also led to the prosperity of other related industries, and more and more merchants and craftsmen of all kinds poured into Jinnan.

By March, the big cities in Anyi and Jinyang and other small cities along Chidao County also changed from regular opening to regular opening, and the speed of material circulation became faster and faster. When the hussar battalion exterminated the white wave and yellow scarves, and the spring ploughing in April was about to begin, the speed and quantity of logistics suddenly came to a big outbreak, and the general mansion in Zhenbei, the palace of the governor of Diannong, the palace of the captain of Hutian, and the county governments of Hedong, Taiyuan, and Shangdang were busy day and night. It's all about spring ploughing. If there is a bumper grain harvest at the end of the year, the tense situation in northern Xinjiang will be greatly eased next year.

At the same time, Xie Ming, who was in charge of salt and iron in the Zhenbei General's Mansion, and Tang Yun, who was in charge of finance, were also surrounded by many princes and magnates, giant businessmen and wealthy people, who tried to buy Xie Ming and Tang Yun in order to grab money, using all kinds of connections and taking a large amount of money and beauties. At first, the two of them were in the way of socializing, but then there were more and more such things, and the two of them were overwhelmed. Looking at the piles of treasures placed in the house, and the beautiful maids kneeling on the ground, what Xie Ming and Tang Yun saw in their eyes was no longer treasures and beauties, but the bloody war knife in Li Hong's hand.

After Xu Rong heard about it, he immediately invited the two to the Zhenbei General's Mansion. Xie Ming and Tang Yun complained bitterly and tried their best to explain. Xu Rong didn't speak, his eyes didn't look at them, and there was no expression on his face, he sat behind the desk, his big hands were clasped together, and his two thumbs kept turning, not knowing what he was thinking. Xu Rong's attitude made Xie Ming and Tang Yun very nervous.

Xu Rong was born in Liaodong, Youzhou, and the people in the Zhenbei General's Mansion naturally classified him as Li Hong's cronies, although he was not a general brought out by Li Hong from Youzhou, but this kind of regional relationship is sometimes more important than the relationship between the old officials. Xu Rong has always been taciturn in the army, and he doesn't like to show his face, but he has a high official position, old qualifications, and outstanding military achievements, plus he himself has a gentle temperament, acts steadily, and loves soldiers like a son, so his prestige in the army is very high. This time, Li Hong and Xian Yufu led the army to the north, and everyone was not surprised that he was in charge of the Zhenbei General's Mansion. Compared with Ko Yi, everyone is more willing to follow behind Xu Rong. Koji Yi's bravery and good fighting are obvious to all, but he is arrogant and arrogant, sharp in his words and deeds, and aggressive, except for those soldiers under him, it is difficult for ordinary people to accept him.

Li Wei, Xie Ming and the others didn't have much contact with Xu Rong, and everyone didn't know him, so they were all a little nervous, and they didn't know what he wanted to do? Li Wei quietly made a gesture to Zuo Yan, meaning to ask him to intercede and probe Xu Rong's tone.

Zuo Yan touched his beard, approached Xu Rong, and whispered: "Zilie, although Zhizhi and Wenlong accepted bribes, they did not squander them for personal use, nor did they open the door for bribe-givers, nor did they affect the affairs of Yantie and Tuntian, so ......" He glanced at Xu Rong, and then asked cautiously, "What do you think ......?" ”

"How did the General explain to you when he left?" Xu Rong finally looked up at Xie Ming and Tang Yun, and said, "As soon as the general left, the gate lords and magnates breathed a sigh of relief, and the businessmen and tycoons breathed a sigh of relief, are you also relieved?" ”

The two didn't dare to make a sound, feeling very aggrieved in their hearts. To tell the truth, they do not mean to be corrupt and accept bribes in their hearts, but there are too many people who give gifts and bribes, some of them are out of gratitude or contact feelings, such as several gate valve families in Hedong, and some directly take the letters of powerful bureaucrats to find them, such as the relatives of Lord Situ Xu Xiang, they can't push it away even if they want to, and some businessmen simply take advantage of their absence to leave their things and leave, and they can't catch up.

Especially Xie Ming, if he wants to be corrupt in this position, hundreds of millions of dollars a year will not be a problem, so his teacher Zhao Qi writes to him almost twice a day, even if it is a business, at the end of the letter, he has to add a few words of advice, telling him not to take a single money from home. Li Hong's six relatives don't admit it, and he kills people like hemp, and if he commits a crime, it is estimated that he will not be able to do a great deal of merit. Xie Ming worked very hard and was determined to be a clean official, he hardly went home, but his house was still full of things.

"My lord reminded the two of you in the deliberations of dozens of people, don't you understand the painstaking efforts of your lords?" Xu Rong asked word by word, "If the general is sitting here today, how will you two explain it?" ”

Xu Rong's tone was cold, and he said in a low voice, "He will kill you." ”

Xie Ming and Tang Yun trembled in their hearts, and shivered all over their bodies.

"Two little bastards, less is more."

As soon as Xu Rong's words came out, everyone in the tent suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. Li Wei secretly screamed a fluke. Xiao Lan's palms were sweaty due to excessive nervousness.

"Make a list of what you have received and send it to the treasury. Send the maid to Zhongyuan's mansion and let Xiao Lan handle it at his discretion. Xu Rong thought for a moment and said, "The next time you encounter this matter, write a document immediately, and send it to the general's mansion with the things, don't ask for trouble." ”

Xie Ming and Tang Yun hurriedly knelt down and thanked him.

Xu Rong sighed and said, "Zhizhi, Wenlong, I can only save you this time, if I do it again next time, I won't be able to save you." ”

He pointed to Xiao Lan, "Immediately draw up a document to the prefectures, and when something like that happens, all the gifts and bribes received will be handed over to the government treasury, and if anyone is found to be corrupt and perverted the law, one will be arrested and killed, and it will not be tolerated." ”

Xiao Lan bowed and agreed.

＝＝＝

Xu Rong picked up a volume of documents on the desk and said to Xie Ming and Tang Yun: "I called you here, mainly not for this matter, I want to discuss with you about the storage of grain and the manufacture of ordnance." ”

"Stockpiles?" Li Wei asked in surprise, "Why do you want to store grain?" ”

"There may be a war at the border." Xu Rong said worriedly, "Lord Koji's recent letters have repeatedly mentioned the tense situation of the Xiongnu, and he is worried that Tu will take the opportunity to rebel again and cause trouble at the border. The Huns were in chaos, and the Xianbei people were very likely to go south to attack Yanmen Pass. Now that the general led his troops north to quell the rebellion, and the defense of the state was insufficient, this was indeed a good opportunity for the Hu people to invade. If the flames of war break out at the border pass, we must defend the pass to the death, and we must not allow the Hu people to invade Taiyuan and Shangdang, otherwise, all our efforts will be in vain. ”

"The purpose of stockpiling grain and making ordnance is to cope with the invasion of the Hu people."

"My lord, if the Hu people invade the state, the food and weapons of the army will be provided by the imperial court, and we have no financial resources and no need to take on such a big burden." Tang Fang said, "Even if you want to prepare early, you should write to the court and ask the court for allocation. ”

Xu Rong shook his hand and said: "Last year, many states and counties had bumper grain harvests, although the treasury had some income, but it was definitely not enough to support the two battlefields of Youzhou and Bingzhou, so for the sake of Northern Xinjiang, for Tuntian, and for the people, we should find our own way." ”

"If the Huns and Xianbei come at the same time, according to our current strength, it should not be a problem to hold on for three to four months, but we do not have much food and weapons at hand, and we can support one month at most. After the start of the border war, even if the imperial court continued to supply us with food and weapons, the quantity was definitely limited. There was a shortage of weapons in the Western Xinjiang War last year, and the situation may be even more serious this year, so I don't plan to take this risk. It doesn't matter if we die, but what about the millions of people in the state? What to do in Northern Xinjiang? We can't be at peace when we do ghosts. ”

There was silence in the tent.

"What do you mean by borrowing money?" Xie Ming hesitated and asked, "How much do you want to borrow?" ”

"I want three months of food and grass, the more weapons the better, and I want to fill the two arsenals of Juzhu Fortress and Jinyang." Xu Rong said resolutely, "Money can be borrowed, the salt and iron in Hedong can allow more businessmen to intervene in the operation, and the scale of our official business can be made larger." In addition, the production of salt ponds and iron ore will increase, and you can recruit more artisans to cook and mine. ”

"Don't be afraid when it comes to dealing with salt and iron, be bold, and do it without hesitation as long as you can increase your income. You have the Zhenbei General's Mansion above, and you have the General, what are you afraid of? ”

"My lord, food is easy to handle." Tang Fang said, "Last year, there was a bumper grain harvest in the Central Plains and the south, and the warehouses of the rich and wealthy there were full. As long as we bid a little higher, the merchants will be profitable, and they will still be willing to sell grain from far away, but what about the weapons? Several weapon-making workshops in Yanmen, Jinyang, and Anyi were not large-scale, and there were few skilled craftsmen, and the output of a month was very limited. In addition, we must obtain the permission of the imperial court to manufacture weapons in large quantities, otherwise we will be complicit in rebellion and will kill the nine clans. ”

"I've already played the imperial court in the name of General Zhenbei." Xu Rong said slowly, "Judging from the current situation in northern Xinjiang, the possibility of the Hu rebellion and invasion is still very high, so the imperial court will definitely agree, you can rest assured." ”

"As for the workshop, the craftsman, the output, etc., I have already thought about it, the scale of the workshop should be expanded, and the craftsmen should be recruited from all over the country, but to meet my requirements, it will not be possible in a few years, so we have to find another way. There are too many places to spend money in the state, and it is completely unnecessary to use the money in the manufacturing workshop. ”

"What's your master's trick?" Tang Fang asked suspiciously.

"The merchants and tycoons of the Great Han Kingdom have money, ask them to open workshops, make weapons, and then sell them to us."

Everyone in the tent looked at Xu Rong in horror.

According to the laws of the Han Dynasty, it is strictly forbidden for private individuals to manufacture and sell, and violators are regarded as complicity in rebellion, and the untouchables are strictly forbidden to possess weapons, and among the four classes of scholars, farmers, industrialists, and merchants, only the scholars can have a limited number of weapons for self-defense. If the number of weapons in the scholar's home exceeds the limit of the Great Han Law, it is the same as the untouchables who have weapons, and they are regarded as complicity. The private ironware workshop of the Great Han Kingdom is also made of kitchen utensils, farm tools and other daily necessities, if the owner of the workshop makes weapons privately, it is also a rebellion. One of the reasons why Tie is officially run is that he is worried about private people making weapons to rebel.

Xu Rong looked at everyone's expressions, smiled slightly, and said, "It's not that our Zhenbei General's Mansion opened a workshop to make weapons, we just instigated those giant businessmen and rich men to do it, what are you afraid of?" ”

"Merchants are greedy for profits, if there is double the profits, you just ask them to kill people and set fires, and they will do it, not to mention this lucrative weapon deal." Xu Rong said, "Look at Xu Ling, the wealthy man in Guanzhong, and the Hedong Wei family, one is backed by the Queen Mother, and the other is backed by the Son of Heaven, this kind of person, what can't he do?" All I have to do is tell them, I want weapons, I want weapons from an arsenal, at a good price, or they will send them to me in a short time. ”

"Do you believe it or not?"

Everyone was dumbfounded, and no one believed it.

Xu Rong said: "The Qiang people in Western Xinjiang have rebelled repeatedly, but every time they rebel, they have war knives, crossbows, a considerable number of war knives and crossbows, and the Yellow Turban Army, when they rebel, they also have war knives and crossbows, how did their war knives and crossbows come from?" Was it all snatched from the arsenals of the county governments in various places? Are they all captured from the battlefield? Maybe you think they can make their own with the iron of the smugglers, then, do the Qiang people have such good craftsmen? And the Huns, Xianbei, and Karasuma, do they all have a group of craftsmen who can make war knives and crossbows? ”

"When I was in Western Xinjiang, I knew that there were merchants in Guanzhong who privately made weapons and sold them to the Hu people." Xu Rong said coldly, "Do you know how many of my subordinates died under these swords and crossbows? These unconscionable things can be sold for money, including ancestors and countries. ”

It was the first time for Li Wei and the others to hear such a shocking thing, and their faces were indignant, but Zuo Yan's expression was very calm, it seemed that he already knew about it when he was in the Yellow Turban Army.

"Zhizhi, after you return to Hedong, tell Guanzhong Xu Ling and Hedong Weijia about this." Xu Rong pointed at Xu Ling and said, "Just inform these two families, they have their own way to give us weapons." ”

"Zilie, we want two arsenal weapons, we will definitely not be able to get together by relying on them to steal chickens and dogs, what if we make a mistake?" Zuo Yan asked in a low voice.

Xu Rong smiled: "It's estimated to be about the same." For the sake of money, they can build it themselves, they can sneak to the county governments to buy it, and they should be able to prepare it in two or three months, but considering that we will go north to regain lost territory in the future, we need more weapons, so ......"

Xu Rong turned his head to look at Zhizhi and continued: "You tell them that the best way is for them to spend their own money to open a workshop, or invest money to expand our government-run workshop, and we will share the profits with them." But no matter what method they use, they need to get permission from the imperial court, so you tell them to go to Luoyang to find a way by themselves, we don't get involved in this matter, we only need weapons. ”

"My lord, have we borrowed that much money?" Xie Ming asked worriedly, "In the future, will we still be able to afford it?" ”

Xu Rong frowned and said, "Who said that the money to buy weapons came from the Zhenbei General's Mansion?" If this gets out, we won't die. Do you want to rebel? ”

Xie Ming was startled and shook his hand again and again. He thought to himself, didn't you say you were going to spend money to buy it? Do you want the court to pay for it?

"The court pays for it." Xu Rong said, "We just have to ask, and they will figure it out themselves." This is a lucrative business, as long as you open your mouth, you can't regret it, you don't want them to force you to ask for it. ”

Xie Ming looked at him suspiciously, and asked in disbelief, "My lord, is there such a good thing?" ”

"When I was in Xiliang, Huangfu Song bought weapons from the rich people in Guanzhong, and he didn't pay a single penny, but those rich people not only sent the weapons, but also gave the Huangfu a generous gift. These people, with their hands and eyes open to the sky, have a way. Xu Rong said disdainfully, "The Son of Heaven can reopen salt and iron in Bingzhou and Hedong, can't he reopen salt and iron in other places?" ”

Everyone suddenly realized.

Xu Rong looked at Li Wei and the others, and said with a smile: "A few of you will be tied up when you encounter something that violates the law, and you don't have the cunning of a businessman at all, you have to learn, although it is against your wishes, but as long as it is for the Han Kingdom, for the people, and for the northern Xinjiang, what can't you do?" Now that the court is corrupt, the eunuchs are tyrannical, and the country is ****, these years are not the same as in the past, very different. ”

Li Wei, Xie Ming and others looked at each other and bowed down to be taught.

"I don't usually like to talk, but that doesn't mean I don't speak, and it doesn't mean that I don't like to listen to you, so if you have anything, you still have to say what you should say, and you should discuss with me or discuss with me." Xu Rong smiled, "Look, didn't I say a lot of things today? ”

Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere in the big tent suddenly relaxed a lot, but before everyone could talk or laugh, they rushed into the camp on a fast ride of eight hundred miles.

Tu tribes rebelled again.

＝＝＝

Koji Yi was very angry, he had seen many shameless Hu people, but he had never seen such a shameless Hu people. I just swore an alliance and reconciled, but I turned my face and turned the other way around.

Koji Yi rushed to Huze with the Fengyun Iron Cavalry and the Duliao Battalion.

The Tiger King White Horse Copper probably didn't expect the Han army to come so quickly. Before he arrived at Huze with his army, his 3,000-strong forward army was surrounded by the Han army that was rushing wildly.

The angry Koji Yi only said three words: "Kill me." ”

An army of 20,000 swarmed up and immediately killed 3,000 Huns.

Koji Yi was still angry, ordered the heads of the Huns to be cut off, and put a big word "kill" on the battlefield.

As if frightened, Bai Ma Tong commanded the army to retreat fifty miles.

Yang Ming, the captain of Duliao, chased after the Duliao camp for less than twenty miles, and was called back by Liyi. Yang Ming returned to Huze angrily, and shouted at Ko Yi, "Why don't you chase it?" What's so terrible about that white horse copper? Aren't you scared? "I can solve the slaughter of traitors in one Liao camp, and cut down the white horse copper to feed the dogs."

Yang Ming is in his twenties, handsome and mighty, with a pair of big tiger eyes under a pair of sword eyebrows. Yang Ming's family background is very prominent, he is the grandson of the former Taiwei Yang Ci, the nephew of the Taiwei Yang Biao, and the protégé of the former Taiwei Zhang Wen. His first battle in the army was to follow Huangfu Song to Jizhou to fight the Yellow Turban Army, and later he went to the Northern Army to serve as Sima of other departments, and soon followed Liu Bo, the general of Duliao, to Saiwai. This person has very good martial arts, is familiar with the art of war, and achieved the position of captain at a young age, not only because of his family background, but also because of his outstanding military achievements. In this era, it is very admirable that a disciple of a gate lord, the descendant of a powerful person, can fight on the border, but he has a bad problem like many powerful disciples, he is arrogant and arrogant, and often does something illegal and undisciplined.

When Xian Yufu was the general of the Huns, the military discipline was strict, and he persuaded people with reason, although Yang Ming was rectified by him twice, he was also convinced, and the eldest brother was long and the eldest brother was short. This time, Koji Yilai came, and the two actually had a temper with each other, and they hated seeing each other late, and often drank all night.

Koji Yi glared at him and said dissatisfiedly, "What's your name?" What else do I want to chase? ”

"Then why not chase?"

"Da Danyu has to come forward to mediate." Koji Yi said hatefully, "Qiangqu, this soft egg, he will do anything as a peacemaker if he has nothing to do, and one day he will be slaughtered by Baima Tong, I will see what else he will do." ”

＝＝＝

In the evening, Ko Yi convened the Fengyun Iron Cavalry and the generals of the Duliao Battalion to discuss the matter.

After Fengyun Iron Cavalry followed Xian Yufu to the outside of the Saiwai, it has been more than half a year, and they have been soaked together with the generals of the Duliao camp every day, and they have become very familiar.

The five military commanders of the Duliao camp were all young, and the eldest was only twenty-five or sixteen years old. Li Qing looks very delicate, and he is very steady in his speech and deeds. Gan Xiang is stout and sturdy, and he is bold. Yongchen is a Shanyue native from the south, the son of a tribal patriarch. After he enlisted in the army, he served as a soldier in the Yue Cavalry Battalion of the Northern Army and was Yang Ming's subordinate. Yang Ming was like a brother to him, and when he arrived at the border, he was brought along. He is very powerful in martial arts, honest and loyal, and he is fierce and brave in battle. Yongchen speaks Luoyang dialect with a thick southern accent, which is difficult to hear, but he likes to talk, so everyone jokes with him when they have nothing to do. Sun Feng is Sun Jian's cousin, and he also served as a soldier in the Northern Army in the past, serving as a guard for Liu Bo. Yuan Yin is a Shuofang person, a tall black-faced man with an ugly appearance that is intimidating. His father was a Xiongnu and his mother was a Han Chinese. When he was very young, his parents were killed in the civil strife of the Xiongnu, and his maternal grandfather went to great lengths to find him, bought him back with five sheep, and raised him to adulthood.

Koji still wants to fight.

"Qiangqu wants to mediate, let him mediate, and we will beat ours." Lu Yi said, "The general led his troops to the north to quell the rebellion, and the defense of the state is very small, if the Tu people have been repeatedly making trouble, it will be a huge concern for the stability of northern Xinjiang." We beat the Tu people and killed the white horse copper, which is good for the Xiongnu and the stability of the northern frontier. ”

Yang Ming stood up excitedly and shouted, "Okay, that's right." My Han Kingdom has been good enough for the Huns, and even gave up its own territory to them to live in, but this white horse copper is not as good as slaughtering pigs and dogs of various ethnic groups, not only is it not grateful to the holy grace of our Han Emperor, but also ******** think about killing our Han people, robbing our Han people, this kind of people do not kill, this kind of tribe is not destroyed, where is the power of my Han Kingdom? ”

Koji Yi frowned and said, "Ziliang, can you make a smaller voice, I'm deaf?" ”

Everyone burst into laughter, Yang Ming smiled embarrassedly and sat back.

Heng Xi said with a smile: "Today, Baima Copper did not respond to the battle, and suddenly retreated, which is a bit abnormal, I think, should we also retreat and lure him to take the initiative to attack." In this way, we will have an excuse to blame in the future. ”

"I think so too." Koji said, "We withdrew from Huze and beat him at the Prancing Horse Plain......"

At this moment, there was a sudden thunderous sound of horses' hooves outside the tent, and Koji Yi was startled and looked up in the direction of the tent curtain.

A Hun messenger was covered in blood and rushed into the big tent.

"My lord, Da Shan Yu was killed."

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