It is impossible to transfer back to Jiangxi in the short term, which means that at least he will have to stay in the small county of Zhenyuan. Xu Liang and Huang Ziren quickly understood their current situation. On the one hand, Huang Ziren trained the soldiers as much as possible, and on the other hand, he accelerated the progress of repairing the city wall.

Xu Liang hadn't had time to go to the county Cheng Huangdaozhou, who was in charge of repairing the wall, and when he got up early in the morning, he saw a puff of green smoke rising straight into the air in the front yard of the county yamen. Panicked, Xu Liang ran to the front yard to check.

Outside the gate of the main hall of the county government, the scribes and officials in the county government gathered on the side, and the green smoke rose from the middle of the crowd.

I saw Cheng Huangdao Zhou of Zhenyuan County, dressed in a plain robe, wrapped in a white scarf on his head, kneeling facing north, and yellow paper was burning in a brazier in front of him. Huang Xiancheng sprinkled paper money into the basin while crying, and solemnly kowtowed in the direction of the north. This behavior made Xu Liang very incomprehensible, and when he asked the scribes around him for the reason, he realized that this was Huang Xiancheng worshipping the deceased emperor Xizong.

After three knocks and nine bows, Huang Xiancheng took out a piece of sacrificial text from his arms, looked at the sacrificial text with teary eyes and said in a mournful voice: "Woohoo, my emperor, the minister Huang Daozhou bows to my emperor's immortal soul." The minister is less and poor, three attempts to autumn and not the first, the year and not confused, fortunately to meet my emperor, is able to point to the jinshi, worship Hanlin, the history of the revision, now in the town of the plain, the official worship of the county, the minister thought that in the future should be able to listen to His Majesty in front of the palace, a thank you. I don't want to say goodbye to the year, but I will say goodbye forever. Woohoo......"

Xu Liang's teeth were about to ache when he heard this, shook his head, and called Mao Yujie, the head of the house, who was standing aside to watch the excitement, into the lobby. After taking a seat, Xu Liang asked about the grain storage in the county treasury.

Mao Yujie was originally a student of Huang Xiancheng, and the teacher outside was worshipping the emperor there, and Director Mao also had red eyes, and when he heard Xu Liang ask, he told the grain storage in the county treasury, according to him, there is not much grain in the county treasury, and it can last for half a month at most.

Xu Liang frowned and listened, thinking that there was no grain to borrow in Pingliang Mansion, and there was no surplus grain at home for the people of Zhenyuan, and the year was extremely bad, except for the poor harvest, the harvest was lost. If you sit like this and eat empty, sooner or later your small county government will starve to death. But after thinking about it, I couldn't think of any good way to solve it for a while, so I simply didn't want to. Then he curiously asked about Huang Xiancheng's situation.

"The emperor died, and the official also felt very regretful, but today the official seemed to be particularly sad to see Lord Huang. Alas, Lord Huang is really a loyal minister of the court. Xu Liang sighed.

"Adults don't know." Director Mao snorted and arched his hand: "In the second year of the Apocalypse, the teacher was nearly forty years old before he was able to enter high school, he was a protégé of the Son of Heaven, and he was very appreciated by the emperor that year, and he was promoted to the Hanlin Academy in two or three years, and he respected the emperor very much." ”

"Oh, I see." Xu Liang suddenly realized. Then I thought that I was also a person in the six years of the Apocalypse, so speaking of which, I was also a person in the reign of the Dead Ghost Emperor, and I was also a protégé of half of the Son of Heaven, so should I also go outside and cry? After thinking about it, Xu Liang had a cold war.

After a while, Huang Xiancheng walked in with red eyes, and saluted Xu Liang: "The lower official greets the county lord." ”

"Ah, Master Huang finished crying? Ah no, Lord Huang, don't be sad. Xu Liang looked at Huang Xiancheng, who was in his forties, standing there with red eyes, and hurriedly comforted.

Huang Xiancheng wiped his eyes and said embarrassedly: "Xia Guan thought that the emperor died suddenly, and he was embarrassed, so he made the county lord laugh." ”

"What did Lord Huang say!" Xu Liang was amazed and said: "Lord Huang is loyal to the emperor and the court, that is really heaven and earth. It's really ashamed to think that this official is also a person in the seven years of the Apocalypse, but he can't reveal his true feelings like Lord Huang. Saying that, Xu Liang seemed to be really ashamed, covering his face with his hands, and did not dare to look directly at Huang Xiancheng.

Huang Xiancheng's face was slightly red, and he interrupted awkwardly: "Uh, what arrangements should the county lord make today?" ”

"Ahh Xu Liang immediately put away the ashamed expression on his face, sat up straight, and said: "This official has to report that the outside has not been peaceful recently, and the leader of the thieves, Yizhangqing, Shangtianlong, Guo Tianxing and others, gathered twenty or thirty thousand people around Pingliang Mansion, and it is estimated that they want to attack Pingliang Mansion. Our Zhenyuan is not far from Pingliang, and if the thieves temporarily start the idea of Zhenyuan City, it will be really bad. Lord Huang and Director Mao went to the city with the official to see how the original city of our town was repaired. ”

Huang Xiancheng and Director Mao said yes, the two followed behind Xu Liang, and the converging Xu Liang's bodyguard, a group of people went out of the county office, passed through the cold streets, and climbed to the top of the city to check the repair of the city wall.

The collapsed city in the northeast corner has been repaired, and dozens of recruited people are stacking the final battlements. Xu Liang and his entourage approached, and Huang Xian suddenly pointed to a tall man in a short shirt and said, "County Zun, this person is He Cheng, the first person is He Cheng, the county prince." ”

Xu Liang was greatly surprised, the scholars of the Ming Dynasty in the impression are all thin skin and tender meat, and they can't carry their hands on their shoulders, and they can't imagine that there are strong men who personally go to the city to move bricks. Xu Liang called He Cheng over.

When He Xiucai approached, Xu Liang saw it, and couldn't help but praise him, what a beautiful man. This He Cheng is more than 1.8 meters tall, with a strong body, a handsome face, and two short beards hanging on both sides of his cheeks, which adds a bit of fortitude.

He Cheng wiped his hands on his shirt and said to Xu Liangzuo: "Student He Cheng has seen Lord Zhixian. ”

Even if it was a gesture, He Cheng lowered his head and was almost as tall as Xu Liang. You must know that Xu Liang's body is also a standard of 1.7 meters. Xu Liang compared the appearances of the two sides, secretly said ashamed, raised his hand and said, "He Shengren doesn't have to be polite. ”

After He Cheng got up, Xu Liang pointed to Huang Xiancheng on the side, and said with a smile: "A few days ago, Lord Huang also recommended He Shengren to the official, and after hearing this, the official immediately recommended you to Lord Futaihong to serve as the post of Zhenyuan Canon. ”

Huang Xiancheng listened to it and was busy with politeness. He Cheng didn't have any special expression on his face, and said respectfully: "Students, thank you two adults for your love." ”

"Hey, how did He Shengren come to the city in person and lay bricks with the people?" Xu Liang asked.

He Cheng's face turned red, rubbed his hands and said embarrassedly: "There has been a drought for many years, the crops in the field have not been harvested, and the food at home is tight. ”

Xu Liang was even more shocked when he heard this, and said: "With the talent of He Sheng, why is this, He Shengren can go to the county school to find a teaching mission." ”

He Xiucai didn't speak, and Huang Xiancheng said embarrassedly: "He Shengyuan was originally also a gentleman of the county school, but since the thieves invaded Zhenyuan City, the residents in the city fled and scattered, and the ten rooms went to the ninth of them, and even the county school could not be done." ”

Xu Liang listened, also sighed, looked at He Cheng, waved his hand and said: "There is a shortage of capable people in the county ya, and He Shengren will not have to go to the city to move bricks in the future, although the appointment of the court has not yet come down, but the position of the original history of this town will be yours sooner or later, from today on, you will first receive the errand of the master of the workshop, and come to work in the yamen." ”

He Cheng was overjoyed and thanked him again and again. Huang Xiancheng and Director Mao also followed suit. The group walked along the city wall again.

Xu Liang looked at the height of the city wall, frowned, and said, "Lord Huang, come and see, is our city wall lower?" ”

Huang Xiancheng and the others looked at it and said, "My lord, since the day the original city wall of Zhenyuan was built, all the city walls have been built according to the height of two zhang. ”

Xu Liang shook his head and said: "This is not good, the two zhang are too short, if the thieves attack from the outside, they can kill the city by just taking a ladder." We've got to make this wall at least a foot taller. ”

Huang Xiancheng hesitated and said: "My lord, if the city walls are increased by one zhang in this way, the project is huge, and it will not be completed in a short time." ”

Xu Liang listened, raised his eyes to look at the original city wall of Zhenyuan, nodded, and thought that what Huang Xiancheng said also made sense, the original city of Zhenyuan is square, with a length and width of nearly thirty miles.

At this time, He Cheng arched his hand and said: "Two lords, my subordinates have an idea, we only need to increase the height of the city gates and Weng City, and dig a moat around the rest of the city walls, so that the enemy will attack the city, and the long ladder will not be able to reach the city head." ”

"Good idea." Xu Liang's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he praised: "Just do what Director He wants." Lord Huang, how long will it take to finish this? ”

Huang Xiancheng looked at it, and after a while of silent calculations in his heart, he replied: "Xia Guan estimates that even if this is the case, it will take two or three months. ”

Xu Liang was very dissatisfied and said: "According to this practice, the amount of work has been reduced by nearly seventy or eighty percent, why does it take so long?" ”

Huang Xiancheng explained: "My lord, this elevated city wall and excavation of the moat is not a small project, just excavating the moat will take half a month, let alone raising the city wall." There are not many existing bricks in the city, so they have to make a temporary furnace to burn bricks, and they come and go, and there is no one who can't do it for a month. ”

Xu Liang interrupted: "The official only gave you half a month, no matter what, you have to get this done." ”

Huang Xiancheng's eyes straightened when he heard this, and he said urgently: "My lord, even if you kill the lower official in half a month, you can't do it." ”

Xu Liang glared at him and said fiercely: "This official can wait, can you wait for the twenty or thirty thousand thieves around Pingliang Mansion?" In a few moments, the official will order that all the 1,000 soldiers of the Inspection Department will be brought in for you to deploy. All you have to do is raise the walls near the city gate and the city of Weng, well, you can completely seal the east and west gates, leaving only the north and south gates. As for the bricks for building the city...... Xu Liang said and looked in the direction of the city, his eyes stopped at the broken and abandoned houses, and he pointed and said: "All the ownerless houses in the city can be demolished, the beams and tiles are kept, and all the stone bricks are pulled to repair the city wall." Hey, what kind of house is that one, so angry? ”

Huang Xiancheng and the others looked in the direction of Xu Liang's finger, only to see that in the north corner of Zhenyuan City, thousands of houses of different heights were connected together, most of the empty grassland in the middle was a garden, a small part has collapsed, and a piece in the southwest corner has been burned, leaving a black eaves and a bare wall, but despite this, you can still see the former glory of this house at a glance.

Huang Xiancheng chuckled in his heart, swallowed his saliva, and said with difficulty: "That's Lord Han's other courtyard." ”

"King Han?" Xu Liang was shocked: "How did King Han's other courtyard be built in Zhenyuan? ”

Huang Xiancheng said with a wry smile: "King Han was originally the twentieth son of Emperor Taizu, and his grandson Zhu Chong was enshrined in Pingliang in the twenty-fourth year of Hongwu, and it has been passed down to the tenth generation. Zhu Quande, the contemporary king of Han, is in his fifties this year, and has been living in the Han Wangfu in Pingliang, and occasionally comes to the Zhenyuan Courtyard to stay for a few days. ”

Xu Liang pointed to the half-dilapidated courtyard and asked, "King Han's courtyard has fallen into such a dilapidated state, and there are still people living in the courtyard?" ”

"Not really." Huang Xiancheng said: "Three months ago, the thieves broke through Zhenyuan, and when the soldiers besieged Pingliang Mansion, the lower officials heard that the people in King Han's Courtyard had withdrawn, and Lord Han took Princess Han and Shizi and others to flee to Chang'an Mansion, and they have not returned to Pingliang so far. ”

Xu Liang showed a pleasant smile on his face, pointed in the direction of King Han's courtyard, and said, "Let's go, let's take a look." ”

The group accompanied Xu Liang down the city and walked towards the Han Wang's courtyard. On the way, Huang Xiancheng saw the young county lord in front of him walking briskly, and faintly felt a little uneasy.