Saying this, Cao Jingyuan was slightly stunned, but Dong Canghai and the others laughed, Fang Ling's words were not false, after the establishment of the Chu State, there were indeed a lot of concubines who died in the cold palace, but the example of a successful exit from the palace like the Su family, and the son was also crowned king is even more unheard.

So, Cao Jingyuan led everyone to a house not far from the yamen, because no one lived in it all year round, and the house was already full of dust and many cobwebs.

Dong Canghai immediately commanded his guards and began to clean the room, while Huang Jian and Meng Zhiyuan began to unload the boxes on the carriage.

After the inventory was cleaned up here, Fang Ling told his mother to rest first, and then sat down in the hall, Chen Mou stood aside with his hands tied, and Cao Jingyuan did not dare to slack off, and stood respectfully in the middle of the hall.

Fang Ling smiled and asked Cao Jingyuan to sit on the side seat, and said, "The first stop of this king will be to your Feng County, I'm afraid I will have to stay here for a little longer." ”

Cao Jingyuan hurriedly said: "Feng County is the fief of His Highness, and His Highness can live as long as he wants. It's just that the county is short of materials, so I don't know what His Highness wants?"

Fang Ling didn't answer directly, but asked rhetorically, "Lord Cao, do you know what it means for this place to become the fief of this king?"

Cao Jingyuan replied with a straight face: "Even His Highness is the lord of this place!"

Fang Ling nodded with satisfaction and said, "It's good that you understand this truth, that is to say, from now on, you don't have to be responsible for any county guarding the state capital or the like, you just need to listen to my orders." ”

"Yes, Your Highness. Cao Jingyuan replied.

Fang Ling said: "Then the dialogue between you and me does not have to be hidden, since I chose to come to Feng County, naturally I did not come here to eat, drink and have fun, but to observe the people's feelings." Along the way, I saw that Fengxian was indeed very poor, and I was also very heartbroken. ”

Cao Jingyuan arched his hand and said: "Your Highness has a benevolent heart, which is the blessing of the people of Feng County. ”

Fang Ling asked, "Tell me, how many people are in Feng County now, and how many soldiers are there in the Yamen guarding the city?"

Cao Jingyuan replied truthfully: "The total population of this county is more than 5,000 people, of which 2,000 are in the county seat, and about 3,000 people in the townships combined. ”

Speaking of this, Fang Ling and Chen Mou glanced at each other, and both frowned.

You must know that there are 10,000 people in an ordinary county in Chu State, and there are even tens of thousands, but this county is only more than 5,000.

Cao Jingyuan then said: "In addition to the lower officials, there is also a scribe and a head catcher in the yamen. There were 10 soldiers defending the city, two at the front and two at the front and back gates, and the rest patrolling the city or resting in shifts. ”

Fang Ling's heart sank again when he heard this, this county town didn't even have the basic configuration, and in the general yamen, there were more than ten or twenty people who caught the fast, and there were more than fifty soldiers guarding the city.

Fang Ling asked, "Then tell me, why is Feng County so poor?"

Cao Jingyuan sighed, arched his hand and said: "Your Highness, the land of Fengxian County is already in the mountains, as the saying goes, rely on the mountains to eat the mountains, rely on the sea to eat the sea, except for a few cultivated farmland, most of the people live by hunting. However, since the bandits occupied the mountains and forests, hunting has become a luxury, so they can only cultivate more arable land outside the city, but the soil here is poor, and although the vegetables and fruits are ripe, they are bitter, and there is no way to sell them except for their own food. On the way out of the mountain, there are bandits on the mountain road, and the annual tax is serious, so the people have no livelihood and are naturally poor. ”