Tian Yong and the others left three days later, taking with them more than a hundred people, all of whom didn't want to endure Li Yan's strict military discipline. Since their families can be treated as they deserve, there is no need for them to suffer this sin anymore.

As for the problem of too small a team, it is not a problem at all. As long as you leave the area controlled by Li Yan, there are many homeless people who can't eat, and you can casually go online for thousands of 800 people, as long as you can let these people eat.

A few days later, Li Yan got the news that after He Renlong and the others asked King Zhou for some food, they returned to their hometown in Shaanxi with their troops. This He Renlong is still a lover, and every time he flees without a fight, he hurriedly returns to Shaanxi with his troops.

Now Li Yan is relaxed. Zhang Xianzhong has already entered the boundary of Nanzhili, Li Zicheng also began to advance to the south of Henan with his troops, and He Renlong and they are also gone, so there is nothing to worry about. If you have the courage to make trouble for him, there are basically no people. Chen Yongfu doesn't dare to come out now, and his record, I believe that Dancheng County will also report it to them, he has the courage to try Li Yan's strength.

Li Yan asked some troops to be on guard, and most of the troops dispersed to suppress the surrounding bandits. The fields in this area are good, and there are some small rivers, but there are few people. He plans to resettle some of the new homeless people here, and he can't let the fields go to waste. Some time ago, Zhang Xianzhong, Li Zicheng and others attacked everywhere, and some of the displaced people should be coming soon.

After he arranged things for Li Mu and Zhao Datong here, he went back with three thousand soldiers. These troops were also to be sent to the area of Yongcheng in Xiayi to continue to strengthen their control there. The remaining troops don't have to worry either, they will be replenished with new recruits first.

A few days after Li Yan returned to Fucheng, he was just in time to harvest potatoes. Now the people who planted potatoes for the first time were very happy, there were so many potatoes in their fields, and under each seedling, there were more than a dozen potatoes. Each mu is basically a yield of more than ten stones, which makes them happy and can't close their mouths. Let's not talk about whether it's delicious or not, at least you don't have to go hungry.

After that, Li Yan arranged for people to go to each village to demonstrate the method of handing them several potatoes as staple food, and they would have to rely on this to live this winter.

After that, it is time to prepare for the distribution of wheat seeds and the planting of winter wheat. Although this is not conducive to the recovery of the earth's strength, there is no way to do it, food is the most important thing, and only after surviving can we talk about other things.

And the county orders of each county are also interested in the large number of harvested potatoes, and they also begin to want to collect an autumn tax. If they can pay enough taxes, they can also be promoted exceptionally. Su Jing is their role model, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he can be promoted directly from the Qipin County Order to the prefect.

Therefore, the magistrates of each county sent their henchmen to collect grain in the villages outside the city. They thought that after the potatoes were recovered, they could exchange them for wheat or other miscellaneous grains in the market, and then transport them to Kaifeng and exchange them for silver, so that they could pay taxes to the imperial court.

However, Li Yan had already informed that only his troops could collect taxes, and no one else was allowed to collect taxes. Therefore, those who went to collect taxes were all closed-door without exception. There are those who break in, and there are those who are injured by people in the village. There are a lot of such things reported to Su Jing these days, and Li Yan naturally knows about it.

Su Jing called Li Yan to the mansion.

"General Lee." When Su Jing saw Li Yan coming in, he couldn't wait to say: "Those Diao people are so disrespectful that they dare to hurt the Yacha, I now ask you to immediately send troops to help the counties maintain order." ”

Li Yan sat down and said with a smile: "As far as I know, the law and order in various places is very good now, there are no adverse incidents, and there are no bandits. ”

"Wounding an officer, isn't it considered an adverse event?" Su Jing was dissatisfied.

Li Yan sneered: "I said it when I was paying taxes in the summer, and the government can't go to the villages to collect taxes. It's only been a few months, and I've forgotten about it. This can be regarded as a reminder to the officials of each county, so as not to forget it again. ”

"During the summer tax, the wasteland had just been opened, and there was no harvest, so it was okay if it was not collected. But now all counties are bumper harvests, the imperial court has lost troops in Liaodong, and it is also necessary to resist thieves in Henan, and it is not possible to have no food and salary. You and I are both officials of the imperial court, and we have received the grace of Your Majesty, and now is the time to reimburse the imperial court and share your Majesty's worries. Su Jing persuaded bitterly. He knew that without Li Yan's help, they wouldn't have been able to harvest even a single potato.

Li Yan said lightly: "Shangshui County is broken, and Yao County is dead." The thieves broke through the river, and Chai Zhi County died. Are you, the prefects and prefects, ready to die, or even the martyrdom of your whole family? ”

Su Jing gritted his teeth and didn't speak. He also received these news, Li Zicheng destroyed the city all the way and broke through many county seats. And in these breached counties, most of the county orders were martyred with the city, and several of them were killed by the whole family, which is indeed tragic.

He sat down, stared at Li Yan, and said, "So, you can't keep the Guide Mansion?" ”

"According to your approach, I can't keep it." Li Yan said seriously: "Those people have just settled down, if you forcibly collect taxes, when the thieves come again next time, they will become the thieves' internal response." How many soldiers do I have? And without these people growing food and hungry troops, can they still fight? ”

Su Jing argued: "But now the imperial court is in a difficult time, we can't stand idly by." ”

"We're having a hard time here, too." Li Yan persuaded: "Even if we can give the imperial court a little food, we can let the imperial court tide over the difficulties?" How much do we pay in taxes? If we are attacked by thieves, not only will we have no way to hand over our future taxes to the imperial court, but Kaifeng Mansion will also be isolated. ”

Li Yan paused for a moment before continuing: "Besides, you only collect potatoes, except for us, where can you eat this thing as food?" We don't have that much wheat, millet, and sorghum here. I can just let each family exchange fifty catties of grain, what use can you use if you collect it? If the Fuzun really wants to share the worries of the imperial court, those officials and gentry have a lot of grain in their homes, and this is the way to work. ”

"Forget it, forget it." As soon as Su Jing heard that he was asked to go to ask for money and grain from the big officials and gentry, he immediately waved his hand and said, "If you don't collect it, you won't collect it, I will give orders to the counties, so that they don't have to worry about this year's autumn tax." ”

He has already offended those big families, if he really offends to death, a general like Li Yan with a heavy army may be fine, but he, a weak scholar, will definitely not be happy. He had no choice but to compromise and wait for the future.

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