Half an hour later, the officials of the Zhenyuan County Government saw the county Cheng Huang Zhou walking out of the backyard of the second hall with a disgraced face. Mao Yujie, the head of the household, followed behind him, whispering all the way to persuade something.

When the two came to the signing room of the county Cheng, Huang Xiancheng stopped, smiled bitterly at the head of Mao beside him, waved his hand, and said, "Yujie, it's okay for the teacher, you don't have to follow." ”

"Teacher?" Director Mao looked at Huang Xiancheng worriedly, and said softly: "The county lord is young, and he is a little impatient in doing things, but in the end, it is also for the people of Zhenyuan, so I am a little rushed, and I ask the teacher not to keep it in mind." ”

Huang Xiancheng waved his hand and said, "Yujie doesn't need to say much. Although the words of Lord Shicai County are unsafe, the teacher is by no means pedantic. Rest assured. I've figured it out. ”

After Huang Xiancheng repeatedly emphasized that he was fine, Director Mao said goodbye to Huang Xiancheng and returned to the scribe's room to deal with his own affairs.

Huang Xiancheng entered his signature room and sat on the chair in a daze, with mixed feelings in his heart.

For a long time, Huang Xiancheng has read the sage book, and the idea accepted is to be loyal to the monarch and patriotism, and after becoming an official, he has always regarded himself as a loyal minister, and he always demands himself with the standard of loyalty to do things. Whatever you think is wrong, you must point it out, even if you are excluded and suppressed, it will always remain the same.

Therefore, although he knew that Zhenyuan City was in urgent need of stone bricks for repairing the city, and after the Han Wang's courtyard was demolished, he would be able to get a large number of bricks, but because it was Han Wangye's industry, he had always opposed private use.

And now, Xu Liang, the young Zhenyuan Zhixian County, didn't wrinkle his eyebrows, and actually demolished the Han Wang Courtyard? Although it was a slogan of repairing the city, he clearly saw that a truckload of dismantled high-quality wood was quietly sent into the backyard of the county government, and the fist-sized white jade lion he saw on Xu Liang's desk was clearly the thing of King Han's courtyard.

The dignified Qipinzhi County, who has been in office for less than a month, does that dirty deed under the banner of justice. Huang Xiancheng was furious. He took out a pen and paper, wrote a few lines of words, and thought that those stone bricks were indeed sent to the city to build a wall, so he took the pen in a daze, and couldn't fall for a long time.

Tick, a drop of ink fell on the snow-white rice paper, and the black juice quickly stained the large piece of rice paper. Huang Xiancheng sighed, stretched out his hand to crumple the ink-stained paper into a ball, and threw it into the paper basket.

In the backyard of the county office, Xu Liang looked at the rearranged small courtyard and nodded with satisfaction. The butler Tietou came over and reported, "Young Master, our yard is almost finished, and there are still a lot of good wood, what should we do with it?" ”

Xu Liang said: "Let's put it first, you go to the street these days to pay attention to it, see which family can get it, sell it cheaper, and come back in exchange for some grain and silver." ”

"Huh." Iron Head smiled when he heard this.

After a while, Feng Suqin walked over and handed Xu Liang a bowl of mung bean soup. Seeing Xu Liang take it and drink it, Feng Suqin smiled and said: "The concubine just heard the noise in Xianggong's study, isn't Xianggong disagreeing with Huang Xiancheng again?" ”

Xu Liang snorted and scolded: "What is the opposite, then the zodiac Zhou is an elm head, one road to the dark, and the master who doesn't know how to turn back is killed." Just thinking about it makes me angry. ”

Feng Suqin comforted: "Xianggong doesn't have to be angry, the concubine doesn't look like a pedantic person like Lord Huang, presumably after Xianggong talks to him, Lord Huang will also figure it out." ”

"He can figure it out best." Xu Liang said, listening to the voice with anger.

Feng Suqin took Xu Liang's empty bowl, and asked casually: "Xianggong, I see that there is still a lot of wood left in the yard after repairing the backyard, but Xianggong wants to take it out for food?" ”

Xu Liang nodded and said, "Well, I've already asked Ah Tie to inquire about these things." ”

Feng Suqin sighed lightly, looked at Xu Liang and said, "Xianggong asked Ah Tie to do these things, I'm afraid that something is wrong." ”

"What's wrong?"

"Xianggong, you think, these woods in the courtyard were originally dismantled from other courtyards, and we shouldn't have used them for private use, if we take them out again to exchange money for food, so that other people in the yamen know, what will they think? Most of them will hold a grudge against Xianggong, saying that Xianggong ate meat and didn't even give some soup to others. ”

"Well, that makes sense." Xu Liang nodded greatly, looked at Feng Suqin gratefully, and said, "Fortunately, the lady reminded me, otherwise I wouldn't have thought of this layer." As he spoke, he asked people to hurry up and stop the iron head who was going out, and asked someone to invite Mao Yujie, the head of the house.

Half an hour later, Director Mao entered the backyard of the second hall of the county government, and when he entered the door, he felt that the whole yard seemed to be renovated, and the direction opposite the arch placed a windshield screen of the moonlight lotus pond, bypassing the screen, and saw that two sets of stone tables and stone benches were placed on the lawn in the courtyard, and a pot of flowers and plants were neatly placed next to the verandah railing. It was inconvenient for Director Mao to look at it more, so he lightly entered the study of the county lord.

"My lord, are you looking for me?" Director Mao asked in a low voice.

"Hmm." Xu Liang raised his head from a book on the desk, nodded at Master Mao, and said, "The official called you here because he had something for you to do." ”

"Your Excellency, please."

"You are in charge of the money and grain of a county, and recently the inspection department picked up some wood, porcelain or something that seems to be still usable, and the official has used some in this courtyard, and there are still a lot left. You go to Zhenyuan Street or a few surrounding counties to inquire to see if anyone needs it, and you can deal with it at a suitable price. And the taels of silver that were sold were credited to the account of the county magistrate. ”

Master Mao was stunned when he heard this, Xu Liang took the materials dismantled from the other courtyard and repaired the yard, he knew, but he didn't expect Xu Liang to ask him to find a way to sell the rest. The Zhenyuan County Treasury has always been very poor, and the few tens of taels of silver that are still left have been exchanged for grain. Now that Xu Liang has put the money from the sale of materials into the county treasury, then he will have more money and food that he can manage in the future. The waist bag is bulging, and the head of the house has to be tough.

Thinking of this, Director Mao nodded again and again and said, "Don't worry, my subordinates will definitely handle this matter well." ”

"Hmm." Xu Liang nodded with satisfaction and waved his hand to signal that Director Mao could retire.

As soon as Director Mao stepped out of the study with one foot, Xu Liang shouted in the room again: "Slow." ”

Master Mao was helpless, retracted his feet again, turned around and asked respectfully, "What else do you have to say?" "I was screaming in my heart: I was so happy that I forgot to take the initiative to withdraw the silver into two parts.

Xu Liang stared at the books on the table, didn't raise his head, and said casually: "That, if the market is good, there should be a lot of other courtyards, and Master Mao can contact Huang Inspector and take those materials and sell them together." ”

Director Mao was stunned for a moment, and said happily: "Yes, yes, my subordinates will do it." ”

A day later, the secret agents who arranged to guard the periphery of Zhenyuan City sent back the news that the leader of the thieves, Yizhangqing, Shangtianlong and Guotianxing, gathered nearly 50,000 people, and after besieging Pingliang Mansion for many days, they began to attack the city all day long.

Xu Liang suddenly sat still. It is only a two-day walk from Pingliang to Zhenyuan, and if you are fast, you can run back and forth in one day. Regardless of whether the thieves attack Pingliang wins or loses, Zhenyuan City will be affected. And with the current defensive conditions of Zhenyuan City, let alone holding on to the city for reinforcements, it is considered to burn high incense if you can hold on to the city for an hour.

Xu Liang immediately recalled Huang Ziren, who was supervising the demolition of the house in the other courtyard, and 1,000 soldiers from the Inspection Division withdrew from the other courtyard and returned to the Inspection Division to prepare for the war. He also rushed to the head of the city to check the height of the city wall and the excavation of the moat.

At this time, the east and west gates of Zhenyuan City had been sealed. Hundreds of plasterers are raising the south gate. Nearly 1,000 people from various towns and villages were also digging moats, and along the south gate to the west, a deep ditch one zhang wide and nearly six feet deep had been dug, stretching along the side of the city wall for nearly three miles.

The green official robe covered with dust on the county is so dirty that you can't see the background color. He was inspecting the dug moat with two officials, and when he saw Xu Liang coming with his guards, he greeted him.

"Lord Huang, this progress is still too slow." Since Huang Daozhou quarreled in his study that day, Xu Liang still spoke to Huang Xiancheng for the first time. But Xu Liang couldn't help but see Huang Xiancheng's face change, and said bluntly: "This official just got the news, and Pingliang has already started fighting. It is estimated that the results will be available in these two days, and at most five days, the thieves will arrive at Zhenyuan City regardless of whether they win or lose. ”

"So fast?" Huang Daozhou listened, although he was still a little indignant about Xu Liang, but the current enemy was not the time to put on a personal show, so he frowned and said: "It's just that at the moment, this moat has only been dug to less than two percent, and the south city gate has only been raised to one side, and within five days, it will definitely not be completed." ”

"Then send more men." Xu Liang said, "All the people who can be recruited in Zhenyuan County, men, women, old people, children, as long as they can move, will be pulled over by this official to repair the city." The official can't give money, and he definitely cares about the food. ”

Huang Daozhou smiled bitterly: "My lord, it seems that this kind of work in repairing the city has always been to gather young and strong men, and there is no reason to recruit the elderly, children, and weak women. ”

Xu Liang interrupted him, pointed at Huang Xiancheng, and said viciously: "I don't care what happened in the past, now that the official is in charge, you do what the official does, and if something happens, you have your own official to bear it." ”

"But...... My lord, even if the lower officials try their best, I am afraid that it will be difficult, and it will be difficult to recruit so many people in the short term. "Huang County is embarrassed.

Xu Liang listened, glared at Huang Daozhou, saw his bitter and hateful appearance, and secretly said that his eyebrows were burning here, and his old man was still pushing and hindering there, and gradually became popular, and almost roared at Huang Xiancheng: "What Lao Tzu says, just like that, less fucking nonsense!" He shouted to the guards around him: "Order all the patrol and inspection departments to dispatch, and the seventeen towns in Zhenyuan County will go door to door to arrest Lao Tzu and repair the wall, but anyone who can't resist will be killed!" ”

When the guards around him hurriedly ran out to give the order, Xu Liang pointed to the stunned Huang Xiancheng and said, "Huang Xiancheng! On the occasion of life and death, those who dare not use their lives without heart will blame the ruthlessness of the official's steel knife! ”

It is said that when the Son of Heaven is angry, the corpses are everywhere, and in Zhenyuan County, Xu Liang is angry, and the effect is actually not much worse. Huang Ziren got Xu Liang's order, knew that the situation was urgent, and gave a death order to the officers and soldiers of the inspection department who were in intensive training.

At present, more than 1,000 officers and soldiers of the inspection department were divided into ten teams, each led by a sentry officer, like a gust of wind, blowing towards more than a dozen towns and villages outside the original town. When the first group of officers and soldiers arrived in Nanchuan Town, they explained the situation to the local lieutenant chief, who heard that even women, old people, and children would be sent to repair the city, and their heads shook like rattles, and they refused to agree to live or die. The sentry officer who led the team didn't say a word, and the knife fell, and the head of the lieutenant chief fell to the ground with blood spraying, which frightened the people who watched the excitement around him, and three men who were good friends with the lieutenant on weekdays stepped forward to reason with the officers and soldiers, and as soon as they got close, they were ordered by the sentinel to take it down, and cut off the head on the spot.

In the urging of the officers and soldiers of the inspection department, nearly 500 men, women, and children who still live in Nanchuan Town began to curse and scold, crying and rushing to Zhenyuan City.

Huang Xiancheng and Director Mao arranged houses in the original city of Zhenyuan, built sheds to accommodate the people who dragged their families into the city one after another, and when nearly 6,000 people were placed in the original city, Huang County Cheng and Director Mao both sighed that Lord Xu had a good means. However, after hearing from the people's words, the officers and soldiers of the Inspection Division actually killed people on the spot, and they couldn't help but be shocked, and after careful investigation, they learned that the Inspection Department had killed more than 100 people in the surrounding towns and villages that day. Huang Xiancheng couldn't help but be angry, and with a black face, he wanted to go to Lord Xu to theorize, but fortunately, Master Mao was still by his side, and when he saw that the situation was wrong, he hurriedly pulled Huang Xiancheng back, and it took some persuasion to dispel Huang Xiancheng's dangerous thoughts.

"Crazy, crazy in every way!" Huang Xiancheng scolded angrily in a trembling voice.