Out of Li Ping's house, the original road turned back half a mile to the southeast, which is the area where the side branches of the Zhang family converge.

Before coming, Xu Chu asked his wife, in addition to your own family, how many other families in Dongxiangli have a relationship with your Zhang family. Zhang Ying replied that there were about ten families, but they were all relatives who went back several generations, so she didn't remember it clearly. He also said that there were two people who were more prestigious, one named 'Xuan' and the other named 'Ting', who were the representatives of these people.

When I arrived in this area, I obviously felt that there was a difference from the neighborhood of Li Ping's house. First of all, every household is "planted with locust at the front door and elm at the back door". In ancient times, there was a kind of locust tree and elm tree, locust and 'Huai', elm and 'Yu' are homonyms, the former symbolizes auspiciousness, longevity, etc., and the latter symbolizes more than every year. But in the current year, there are not many people who still have the heart to do this. The second is to hear the sound of reading, which is even rarer. After the ordeal in Yingchuan, the township school and the county school were seriously damaged, except for a few counties that were relatively intact, the rest of the county schools were basically abandoned.

Yanling County is particularly severe. Yanling was originally the hardest-hit area, often 'favored' by the Yellow Turban, and Xu Chu was not a person who attached importance to education at that time, so that now Yanling's county schools and township schools have not been reopened.

Hearing the sound of reading, Xu Chu couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. One is ashamed of neglecting the Zhang clan, and the other is ashamed of not paying attention to education.

It's not that no one has mentioned it, but when it was Yanling's order, there was a proposal to rebuild the county school and the township school. But at that time, Xu Chu didn't pay attention to it, and at the same time, he was busy maneuvering around the big and small heroes in Yanling County, so he put it on hold. Now that I think about it, it was another omission on his part.

"It's not too late to hope for a better life." Xu Chu thought as he got out of the car from afar. Before coming to Zhang Xuan's house, he told Chen Yi to hand over the name thorn. The one-foot-long bamboo name thorn only indicates simple information such as surname, first name, and table characters, and is not an official position.

The name of the thorn is to show respect; It is not an official position, but it is for modesty. The Zhang clan is different from Li Ping, but there is a scholarly heirloom, and Xu Chu can't be treated in the same way as a hero.

Zhang Xuan's family was much richer than a small landlord like Li Ping, and he set up a porter, and the porter respectfully accepted the famous thorn handed by Chen Yi, and slowly retreated with a bent body.

Xu Chu made such a big noise in the middle, and he also knew that he was rushing here. Zhang Xuan took the famous thorn sent by the porter and snorted faintly. But when I saw that there was only 'surname, first name, and table words' on the name tattoo, my face was a little better.

For Xu Chu, Zhang Xuan, including all the people of the Zhang clan, all love and hate. The so-called love, since Xu Chu married Zhang Ying, the two are linked; And the hatred is because Xu Chu ignored the Zhang clan after becoming an official.

Anyway, now that Xu Chu is here, he seems to know how to be polite, and Zhang Xuan is not lazy, so he let the teenagers who are studying at home be quiet and go to greet each other outside the door.

Once they met, they walked towards home after the ceremony. Xu Chu saw that Zhang Xuan had a good temperament, but it was a pity that his hair was half white, and it was already twilight, so he couldn't help but feel a little regretful. He didn't know that Zhang Xuan was already a township elder before he came, and he was in charge of a township education, because he had a certain amount of knowledge, and he was still teaching in the township. Xu Chu saw a group of people in Zhang Xuan's family studying, and they were the young men who came to study in the township.

Although the three elders of Ranxiang are higher in rank than Qiangfu and have a transcendent status, they are the officials of the people and have no real power. Zhang Xuan himself doesn't care when he is old, but he also wants to find a career for the younger generations of the clan.

After a few words of greetings, Zhang Xuan asked: "Is this trip to the Ming Mansion to visit the old man, or is it ......?"

Xu Chu was respectful, "Of course, I came to visit Mr. Zhang,...... Of course, by the way, ask Zhang Lao Ke to know what materials are available, recently the affairs have become more and more complicated, tuntian, recruitment, are in short supply of chief officers or pen officials. ”

Zhang Xuan nodded slightly, and said some names, including the children of the Han family who had studied with him, and the descendants of the Zhang clan.

That Zhang Ting is also among them.

Xu Chu couldn't visit them one by one, looked up at the sky, and it was almost time to go back to the council. He said to Zhang Xuan, but if you are willing to do things for the county, you can come to Taishou Mansion by yourself, and he will definitely meet them one by one.

After talking for a while, Xu Chufang got up and left. Zhang Xuanqin sent it outside the door, saw Xu Chu's figure disappear from view, and then said to the people in the family: "Go and inform the clan and hold a clan meeting." ”

……

……

On this day, I went to Dongxiangli, and Xu Chu suddenly felt that he had gained a lot. Back in the Taishou Mansion, Xun Chen and Xu Shu were already waiting.

Xun Chen carefully discussed it with a group of people yesterday, and felt that Xu Chu's conditions were very good. This account has been calculated before, and the displaced people and the wasteland are free of cost, and the original of the Xingtun field is just seeds and cattle lent to the homeless people to cultivate, and they can make huge profits in vain.

Therefore, Xun Chen came this time to discuss with Xu Chu about recruiting troops and military rations. Since it is about military rations, Xu Shu can't be absent, and the accounts are all in Xu Shu's stomach.

turned a future minister who can be expected to be a big butler, Xu Chu is really helpless.

Lack of people.

Xu Chu took Xun Chen's arm and walked in, and said with a smile: "Youruo is in good spirits, recently Hugh Ruoke has a letter back to the county, I haven't seen his report for a long time, and the three counties in the north of the county don't know how to rectify." ”

Xun Chen smiled back: "I didn't receive Hugh Ruo's letter, I think it was because there were many affairs, and I was busy and fainted." ”

Xu Chu didn't ask much questions, served tea and soup, quenched his thirst, and then began to talk about business.

Xun Chen opened his mouth and asked for 10,000 stone of grain.

"Recruiting soldiers to ask for food, and the grain and grass on the state pastor side are also urgent, 10,000 stones, only enough for emergencies."

Xu Chu listened and was silent. When he came up, the lion opened his mouth, and it was obvious that Xun Chen was ready to bargain.

Looking at Xu Shu, Xu Shu took out the book and put it on the case, which was clearly written, and there were more than 40,000 stone grains in the treasury.

Including the grain that was transported twice from Yangzhai. They were copied from the two families of Yang Zhai Zhang and Huang left by Yin Xiu.

40,000 stones, the soldiers ate a part, the tuntian flowers went to a part, and a part was given to the county officials, which was already very tight. Not to mention that Xu Chu has to continue to recruit some soldiers, as well as extra expenses in peacetime, such as relieving refugees, raising customers, and so on.

To tell the truth, Xu Chu didn't want to give a single grain, but since Xun Chen opened this mouth, he had to come up with something meaningful.

This is the passive situation he is in in the face of the huge Yingchuan clan, like a mountain pressing on him, making him breathless.

Xun Chen also figured out that Xu Chuwan couldn't refuse, so he opened his mouth and asked for 10,000 stones.

Xu Chu pondered for a moment, and suddenly said, "Or, will we collect grain from various counties?" ”

The county to the county to collect grain, just as the state to the county to ask for grain, is a matter of course.

Xun Chen knew what Xu Chu meant, and when the counties took grain, they actually kicked the ball back. The county commanders, chiefs, county magistrates, and county lieutenants of each county are almost all members of the scholar clan.

"Fujun, as far as Chen knows, the counties are not well-off because of thieves' nuisances and years of military disasters. The government just issued a decree not long ago, 'it is strictly forbidden to over-count', is it necessary to retract the order? ”