As the saying goes, if you don't belong to your family, you don't know how expensive firewood and rice are.

Ren He has been the director of the Nanyuan Commission for a few months, not only knows how expensive firewood and rice are, but also realizes that being an official is not so glamorous on the surface, but very tiring and difficult!

For the food and salary of more than 400 people, he has been to the yamen of the political envoy three times and the yamen of the grain road four times, and when he saw that the officials of the two yamen were either shirking or slowing down, he was really angry and slapped the table, saying that if the money and grain were in arrears, it would not only delay the rectification of the Nanyuan River and Haizi, but also not be able to deal with the emperor, and might even provoke a mutiny.

Maybe the lord of Fantai and the grain road felt that dredging and rectifying the royal garden was more important than the blockage of Tianjin, or they were worried that there would be a mutiny in the land of Gyeonggi, and they would not be able to get rid of it at that time, so they finally gave a pile of treasure money, six carts of iron-cast money, and more than 3,000 stones, which were not only mixed with soil but even moldy old grain.

Treasure money and big money are not worth much, so we have to quickly find a way to use them, and buy as much grain as we can. The stale grain that those people could not eat could be used to feed the livestock. After finishing all this, he had to gather the people in the garden to repair several almost abandoned houses on the side of the school yard to store the grain, gunpowder, lead and other ordnance purchased these days.

Ji Lu was also very busy, not only going to the Accounting Department to apply for money and food for the troops stationed in the Eight Banners Vest Gate, but also going to the Upper Courtyard to apply for the Nanyuan stable chief, stablemate, stableman, strawman and other staff and Mongolian doctors' work and food, and to apply for the bean and rice forage needed to feed the horses, camels and mules in the stable.

Seeing that the autumn harvest is approaching, and what Gyeonggi lacks most now is grain, Wang Qianli, like Wan Shixuan and Temulun, is busy with the money and grain that has been privately cultivated in the "Levy" Garden.

As soon as Han Xiufeng came back, they rushed to the official office with Rong Lu, Wang Qianli, and Yongxiang to report on their official duties during this time.

"I have explained to Yuan Cheng and Yuan Deputy Quan, including the pillars and iron locks, that this year's harvest in the garden, except for those that should be handed over to the accounting department, must be left in the garden, and not a grain of grain can flow out!" Wang Qianli looked down at the account book, and continued: "In view of the fact that this money is not easy to exchange, we plan to convert all the grain into grain, whether it is land or silver, or land rent." This year, other places are either drought or floods, but my Nanyuan is still in good weather, and the crops are growing well in thousands of hectares, and I estimate that I can levy at least 1,500 stones. ”

Thinking of those soldiers stationed in Tongzhou, who can only eat one meal a day now, Han Xiufeng muttered: "If the people in the garden still have surplus grain in their hands, we can buy it at the market price." ”

"Fourth master, you can rest assured, I would have explained it a long time ago, otherwise I wouldn't have said just now that not a grain of grain could flow out." Wang Qianli thought about it and said: "Not only do we have to collect the grain in the garden, but I also went to say hello to a few nearby Zhuangzi, and after the grain is collected, we will send someone to buy it, go to the market with us, and never fold the scales!" ”

"Fourth master, the grain depot is being repaired, and it will be completed in seven or eight days." Ren He couldn't help but arch his hand.

"I'm relieved, the current grain is a price a day, sometimes money can't buy it, only with food in our hands, we won't panic."

"Fourth master, there is something that the lower official almost forgot to say."

"What's the matter?" Han Xiufeng asked subconsciously.

Ren He looked back at Wang Qianli and Ji Lu, and said respectfully: "Didn't you ask the lower officials to go to Miyun with the silver in the spring and raise some food on the spot in Miyun?" This errand was later handed over to Master Qingxian, and the lower officials never bothered to ask. A few days ago, Master Qingxian asked someone to bring a letter to the lower officials, saying that the more than 3,000 stone grains purchased in the spring were a little damp, and he had hired someone to dry them several times, but if he put it like this, he couldn't put it for a few days, and then it would be mothy and moldy. ”

Rong Lu put down the teacup and said in a low voice: "Fourth master, the foreigners have all returned to Guangdong." ”

Han Xiufeng couldn't hear the meaning of his words, weighed it and raised his head and said: "Okay, send a letter to Qingxian, ask him to sell the old grain at a price, and hurry up to buy 3,000 stone of new grain while the autumn harvest is not enough, please pad him first, and someone will go to the mouth to bring it to him when he turns around." ”

"Sell old grain, buy new grain, new grain is definitely more expensive than old grain, isn't it a loss to go in and out?" Ren He asked cautiously.

"It's so much more expensive to buy grain now than to buy it in the spring, don't we still have to buy it? Brother Xing, I know that you are careful and want to save some money, but what we want now is to be prepared, compared to silver money, it is a small matter. ”

"What the fourth master said is that after the lower official goes back, he will write a letter to Master Qingxian."

Han Xiufeng nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Ji Lu and asked, "Ji Lu, what do you say about the bean and rice forage of camels, horses and mules?" ”

Ji Lu hurriedly stood up: "Fourth master, the Shangqi Yuan has been transferred to the Accounting Department to consult the household department, but when I got to the household department, it was stuck, and those masters of the household department said that there were more yamen waiting to apply for money and grain, and the front has not been completed, and the food and salary of the Tongzhou camp have not yet been settled, so let's wait first." ”

"Where's the money and food for the troops stationed at the Vest Gate?"

"It's given, but it's all money."

"Sushun is not easy to be a family, treasure money is treasure money, it's better than nothing." Han Xiufeng looked at Wang Qianli again: "Brother Bailing, whether it is the grain road of the Zhili Domain, the Accounting Department and the Household Department, we didn't count on them, so the food and salary of the army stationed in the Majiamen Army and the River Camp are still paid from the public account." If you have money to send money, but not enough money to send silver, if you send treasure money like Tongzhou, where does the morale come from, and how can the soldiers use their lives. ”

"The lower officials obey the order, anyway, there are more than 50,000 taels in the public account."

"Just over 50,000 taels left?"

"Fourth master, you don't know how expensive firewood and rice are not at home, six or seven hundred people have to ask for money to eat, drink and Lazar, and this money is really like running water!" Wang Qianli smiled bitterly.

"Fifty thousand taels is fifty thousand taels, let's spend it first, it's not enough to find a way when the time comes."

As soon as Han Xiufeng's voice fell, Wang Hedong arched his hand and said, "Fourth master, there is a way to save expenses. ”

"Tell me about it."

"Actually, I didn't think about how to save money, but didn't all the foreign guns be shipped and distributed, and I always taught the brothers how to load, how to aim and cast them every day, but I didn't really put a few more guns and bullets, and didn't let the brothers listen to the movement of the guns, I don't think it was a way to go on like this."

"If you have guns, gunpowder, and lead, why don't you let the brothers practice?" Han Xiufeng asked puzzled.

"I want to put a gun, but this is Nanyuan, can I put a gun here?"

Rong Lu also smiled bitterly: "Fourth master, I won't let it go, the movement of the gun is too big, it will not only alarm those Qiu Ba stationed in the north, it will alarm the infantry yamen, and even alarm Prince Hui." ”

Thinking that the land of Gyeonggi could not be easily released, Han Xiufeng subconsciously asked, "Then what should I do?" ”

Wang Hedong hurriedly said: "Fourth master, I discussed with Master Ronglu, and I plan to take turns with Yongxiang to take the brothers back to Gu'an, no matter how much you toss over there, there is a barracks for our river camp over there." ”

Wang Qianli thought that this idea was good, and couldn't help laughing: "No matter what you buy over there, it's not as expensive as in the capital, and you can really save some money by going there." ”

Han Xiufeng muttered: "It's okay to go to Gu'an, but it's not child's play to transfer troops in Gyeonggi, I have to ask the emperor for permission first." ”

"So even though we have a gun, we don't dare to let it go, so we just wait for you to come back."

"This matter is settled, I will go to the fold early tomorrow morning."

Seeing that the business was almost over, Yongxiang, who had never had a chance to interject, got up and said: "Fourth master, the day before yesterday, I went to Tongzhou, and I also saw Long Ruyuan. Not only did I want to come to Nanyuan to see the brothers, but I also bought a generous gift for me to bring back to honor you. ”

Wang Qianli knew about this, and couldn't help laughing: "Yu'er helped accept the gift, I looked at the gift list, it was quite heavy, and several things added up to five or six hundred taels." ”

Han Xiufeng didn't care about the courtesy, but asked, "Did the monk king arrange an errand for him?" ”

When he mentioned this, Yongxiang said helplessly: "I thought that the holy decree would let him go to Tongzhou to bring Yong, and he would be stationed in Tongzhou in the future." As a result, as soon as he arrived, Seng Lingqin asked him to familiarize himself with those brave men from Hubei, and planned to let him lead Yong to Tianjin in a few days to listen to the command of Shi Rongchun, the governor of Zhili. ”

Rong Lu put down the teacup and said: "If he is stationed in Tongzhou, if there is really something, he and those Xiangyong under his command may be able to help." But if he went to Tianjin, he and the Xiangyong he led with him would not be able to count on him. Fourth master, why don't you think of a way to talk to Monk Greenqin and ask him not to go to Tianjin, but to garrison Tongzhou. ”

Han Xiufeng pondered for a moment and shook his head: "Monk Greenqin wants to use good steel on the blade, why do you ask me to open this mouth with Monk Greenqin." What's more, because the emperor summoned him back to Beijing to teach him in person, he already had thoughts about me, so how could I meddle in military affairs again. ”

"What about the emperor?"

"The emperor's side is even worse." Han Xiufeng said helplessly: "Think about it, because the money and food can't be supported, the six or seven soldiers and horses transferred from all over the country in the spring, and those soldiers and horses have been sent back in the past two months, and the temporarily recruited brave men have also been dismissed one after another. ”

"Since there is no way, forget it, we didn't count on him anyway."

"Well, but I can't take his gift in vain. Yongxiang, hasn't he gone to Tianjin yet, Ming'er went to the stable to pick a few horses and send them to him. In fact, he needs foreign guns more than horses, but we don't have many foreign guns, so we can only give him a few horses. ”

"Okay, I'll do it early in the morning."

"And then you all know, something happened in the Shuntianxiang test this time, so many fellow examiners helped the candidates revise and even dig up and repair the Zhu Juan, it makes people suspicious when they think about it. I don't know if you have any relatives and friends who participated in the big competition, if you have, you have to keep a snack, but you can't be implicated. ”