Twenty days later, Qi County, Licheng.

It's April, the climate is finally getting warmer, this damn weather, just like Yang Guang's expedition to Goguryeo, are not encountered for hundreds of years, in March, it snowed for a whole month, only to pity the hundreds of thousands of hungry people living in shacks outside the city, although Zhang Xutuo used military food relief, but every day there are still hundreds of people who die of hunger and hunger, it is unbearable to see, thousands of new graves have been added outside the city, at first it was just a pit to bury a person, and later, simply a dozen, Dozens of corpses were thrown into a big pit and buried, and they were uprooted from their homes anyway, and they didn't know who their names were, or where they came from.

Zhang Xutuo stood on top of the battlements, and Wang Shichong, who was dressed in a general robe, stood side by side with him, both of them frowned, looking at the miserable scene outside the city, which made it difficult for people to mind anyway.

Wang Shichong hooked the corners of his mouth and squeezed out a smile: "Lao Zhang (Zhang Xutuo Ziguo), this time it really relied on your help to stabilize the situation here, before I came, I heard that there were more than 200,000 hungry people in Licheng, but I didn't expect to see with my own eyes that the number of hungry people is more than 400,000. ”

Zhang Xutuo shook his head gently: "After knowing the news of the grain release in Licheng, the people and disaster victims from the surrounding counties have come here, and even many of them are people from the places in Hebei that have been looted and destroyed by bandits. So in less than a month, there were 200,000 more people, and if you hadn't brought 200,000 stone of grain to distribute this time, I was afraid that I wouldn't last two months, and where to get food at that time would have become a big problem again. ”

Wang Shichong laughed: "Lao Zhang, what is it to be so polite to me, but we brothers are telling the truth, your actions this time." Although the Supreme didn't say anything, he praised you, but I can see that he doesn't like your private behavior of releasing military rations like this, if everyone in the world follows suit, people with other ambitions will also take advantage of this to establish their own favors. If you plot to make trouble, it will shake the foundation of my Great Sui. So your matter, as the Supreme also said, is an expedient measure, and it is not an example. ”

Zhang Xutuo smiled slightly: "Originally, I was ready to be dismissed from office or even killed, the Supreme can not blame me, it is already considered a joy from the sky, what more can the husband ask for?!" ”

Wang Shichong nodded and said, "But it's still very dangerous." At the beginning, the Supreme wanted to cure your crimes, Xiao Yu and Xiao Shilang interceded for you, explaining the powerful relationship, and the Supreme let you go, Lao Zhang, don't do this kind of thing next time. ”

Zhang Xutuo shook his head: "I thank Xingman for your help, but what I can't let go of this time is why Yuan Wendu has nothing to do." Instead, he was rewarded? It is said that if I am not punished, I should be punished for the crime of surname Yuan. But this time we were both commended. Yuan Wendu was also promoted to one level, and he was transferred to the internal history province to be a waiter, what is going on? ”

Wang Shichong sighed softly: "Lao Zhang, you still don't understand this supreme way of controlling people." Because of the conquest of Goguryeo, the people of the world were used too ruthlessly. Hungry people everywhere, as long as someone instigates and takes the lead, they will become bandits in groups, this is not only your Qi County, I came all the way. Hebei, Shandong, and the land of Lianghuai, I heard that they are almost like this, that is, the hometown of the Northern Qi Dynasty, especially in Shandong and Hebei, where the burden is the heaviest and the people become the most. ”

A trace of impatience flashed in Zhang Xutuo's eyes: "Your Majesty is ambitious and wants to recover the Han land, which is good." But it's really a bit too hasty, I didn't know that things would turn out like this before I came to Qi County, but the army has come out, and it is impossible to retreat halfway, so I can only hope for a quick victory, end the foreign war as soon as possible, and appease the people inside. ”

Wang Shichong said with a smile: "So Your Majesty hopes that these bandits and people everywhere, the Taishou and Tongshou of each county can solve it by themselves, when I came, Zhuo County has already set up a general guard, let Li Jing Li's general Guo Xuan lead the troops, specifically to deal with those robbers who rob Shu, and the strength is more than 10,000, which is much stronger than the previous state and county soldiers. ”

Zhang Xutuo's brows furrowed: "But this is equivalent to dispersing the strength of the imperial court in various states and counties, in the past, the government soldiers were strong men from each state and county on their own, and the burden was lighter, but now that it is done like this, the soldiers are all outsiders, so isn't the burden much heavier?" ”

Wang Shichong sighed: "This is already a matter decided by His Majesty, and it is useless for you and me to say more." By the way, the Supreme wants you to stay in Qi County, act as the county guard, and do the things that are guarded, which is still mainly to arrest bandits. As for the expedition across the sea, leave it to me. ”

Zhang Xutuo was surprised: "What, this time you will go to sea?" ”

Wang Shichong smiled slightly: "Exactly, the holy order has been issued, I want to rely on these 200,000 stone army food to help the people, select strong people from them to enlist in the army, and then take them to Goguryeo as a backup for the two generals Laihu'er and Zhou Fashang, while you, Lao Zhang, will stay in Qi County and continue to quell the rebellion." ”

Zhang Xutuo was stunned for a moment, then clapped his hands and smiled: "This plan is very good, the elite soldiers have joined the army and gone overseas, and the rest of the victims are all women, children, old and weak, and they can't make trouble." Xingman, is it really yours, is this plan you dedicated to the Supreme? ”

Wang Shichong nodded: "Supreme Tianzong is wise, I only mentioned the beginning, and he understood it all, and the orders behind were all given by him, but I only have people here, no equipment, and I have to trouble you General Zhang, open the treasury, and distribute the equipment to my newly recruited soldiers." ”

Zhang Xutuo waved his hand: "Don't be so troublesome, saving soldiers is like fighting fire, without your reinforcements and food, I'm afraid that there will be trouble when I come to the general and General Zhou, I have been delayed for half a month this time, I think so, you take my 30,000 subordinates, tomorrow I will bring 300,000 stone in the barn to store grain, and go to Donglai County to go to sea." And I can leave 200,000 stone of military rations here, recruit and train from those disaster victims, and give me one year, which is enough to train an elite soldier who can fight against the rebellion. ”

Wang Shichong's eyes flashed with a hint of pride, what he wanted was this effect, Zhang Xutuo's 30,000 elites were super warriors he had trained for many years, and any general would covet them, the reason why Wang Shichong came to Licheng was to beat the idea of these 30,000 people, so that Zhang Xutuo could take the initiative to propose, which made Wang Shichong overjoyed. (To be continued......)