Leaving Wei Ze and the others, Zhang Jian walked on the street and wandered alone, and when he was tired of shopping, he casually found a clean wine shop and walked in. I went in and found a secluded seat, ordered a few side dishes, a pot of wine, poured myself a drink, looked at the people on the street, Zhang Jian raised his wine glass and drank it all, saying in his heart that he doesn't like to drink, and Zhang Jian doesn't like the wine of this era, but he doesn't have a choice, right.

"This benevolent brother, dare to ask if you can get drunk at the table?"

Zhang Jian looked like a young man who looked to be about thirty years old, dressed as a scribe, and was looking at him with his hands arched and smiling. Zhang Jian looked at the empty wine shop, but he didn't refuse, so he nodded casually, and the man was not polite, and sat directly opposite Zhang Jian to eat and drink.

Then the man asked the store to serve two jars of wine, and asked with a smile: "Dare to ask Brother Ren's surname?" ”

Zhang Jian waved his hand and said: "The surname Gao doesn't dare to be a big name, and the surname Zhang is simple." ”

The man laughed and said, "Brother Zhang is straightforward, and he is very broad." I just saw Brother Zhang and Taishou entering the city together, it must be an important person around Taishou, why don't you go to the banquet and buy drunk here? ”

Zhang Jian glanced at Kuo Cheng vigilantly and asked, "Am I too guarded by the important people around me, what do you have to do with it?" What does it matter to you if I go to the banquet or not? ”

Kuo Cheng laughed dryly and said, "Brother Zhang, don't worry, I don't have any other intentions, I just happened to see it outside the city and asked casually." ”

Kook! Zhang Jian drank a glass of wine and no longer paid attention to Kuocheng, and Kuocheng no longer talked too much.

After three rounds of wine and five flavors, both of them were a little drunk. Kuo Cheng leaned closer and asked, "Brother Dao Zhen's entry into the city today is really not small."

Zhang Jian sneered: "Labor and money, profligacy, and pomp. It's not like I've never seen him taller, but I'm not like him. ”

"Huh! Dao Zhen, you only know one and don't know the other, are you saying that this county order Chenghong is just an ordinary county order? ”

Zhang Jian was already a little drunk, and when he asked this, he suddenly became curious: "What?" What's the mystery here? ”

Kuo Cheng didn't go around the bend and said with a smile: "Let's not say that the bureaucratic atmosphere of this dynasty is already extravagant, this Cheng Hong is not an ordinary person, has Dao Zhen ever heard of Wu Jun Cheng's family?" ”

"Wu Jun Cheng? Haven't heard of it. ”

Kuo Cheng was also surprised to see Zhang Jian at a loss, not as if he was cheating, you must know that in this Chu country, Mo said that he was a person in the officialdom, and he was a common person, and he was also thunderous about the Cheng clan of Wu County, of course, he would never have thought that Zhang Jian was not from this era.

Kuo Cheng said eloquently: "It seems that the Tao really doesn't know much about the affairs of this dynasty." Since the fall of the Tan Dynasty, the world's heroes and their own family to take the opportunity to become bigger, Jiangbei does not go to the detailed table and this Jiangnan has Wu County Cheng Clan, Xiangyang Shen Clan, Jiangling Han Clan and Guangling Lu Clan four major families, these four families since the fall of the Tan Dynasty, with the destruction of Chu Xing standing still protégés all over the south of the Yangtze River, do not say that the royal family is a local member, even if it is the Taiqing Emperor of the Dynasty, he has to scruple three points, and this Cheng Hong is the person of Wu Jun Cheng. ”

Zhang Jian already likes history, and he knows that the gate lord clan in ancient times said, although the current dynasty cannot be examined, but it seems that there is still something that should be done.

Kuo Cheng saw that Zhang Jian seemed to be moved, so he continued: "Do you know that this Cheng Hong has a nickname called the Four Ends County Order? ”

"Four county orders?"

"As the so-called paddy fields are exhausted of fish and turtles, the deer in the mountains are exhausted, the rice grains in the fields are exhausted, and the people in the villages are exhausted, and these four are exhausted."

"Lawlessness! No one cares? ”

"It's like this, who cares whom, and who dares to care?"

"I understand, this is called freezing three feet not a day's cold, accumulating soil into a mountain and a beard."

"The Tao is a good metaphor, let it be a drink."

"It is the people who suffer so much."

"Brother Dao Zhen is admired for the people's heart."

"It's just pushing myself and others, maybe one day I will become a commoner, in the final analysis, this is called my own heart."

"It's funny, haha."

The next day

Zhang Jian opened his sore eyes and felt a splitting headache, yesterday he drank and chatted with that Kuo Cheng until late, from the initial vigilance to the final release, both knowledge and conversation made Zhang Jian sincerely admire this familiar stranger.

"Master Zhang, you're awake. Lord Taishou, please come to the main hall for discussion. ”

"Go to work!"

As soon as they entered the main hall, Wei Ze and Wu Yue and Wu Jian brothers were already present, and Zhang Jian embarrassedly apologized: "Sin, sin." I drank too much yesterday, and I woke up late today. ”

"Don't get in the way, we've only arrived soon, let's take a seat, let's start the discussion."

Wei Ze then said: "Although the five hundred cavalry of the guard battalion that came with us are not under the jurisdiction of Jin'an, since we have arrived in Jin'an, we will first be incorporated into the county army, and it will be under the command of Zili's cousin, and the affairs of the county will be handed over to Ziyuan's cousin, and Brother Zhang will assist from the side." I hope that everyone can work together in the future to make some achievements in Jin'an. ”

After Wei Ze's impassioned opening remarks, several people began to discuss the direction of future work, which can be summed up in three ways: "One is the most important salt affairs, the second is the relationship with the surrounding foreign races, and the third is the mountain bandits and pirates of Jin'an." These three items seem simple to sum up, but none of them are easy to solve, especially salt. The weight of Jin'an is Feng County, and the weight of this Feng County is not too shou, it is precisely that Cheng Hong, after yesterday's chatting with Kuocheng, Zhang Jian already knows the reason, and the fact is true, the previous few Taishou to Jin'an are not harmonious with Cheng Hong, but behind Cheng Hong is the Cheng family, although he is not a direct line, but not everyone can move, the current head of the Cheng family, Cheng Yiguan to Taiwei Lu Shang Shushi Jue to Xunyang County Duke, who dares to touch his moldy head. But this salt tax is a lot of money, but in the hands of others, it has always been a hidden pain in Wei Ji's heart, so this time he came to Jin Anwei is determined to get the salt business, but there are too many involved in it and it needs to be slowed down.

After the meeting, Wu Yue and Zhang Jianjian rode horses to the salt field, and now the salt is boiled, and the national policy of Chu is open to salt, that is, the private sector is allowed but has to collect heavy taxes, since salt is the first priority, then the investigation of output is the first of the first. Without informing anyone, they only brought a few guards to a salt pan by the sea, but as soon as they entered the village, they felt that the eyes of the villagers here were not too friendly, and some even avoided them.

At this time, three or four people hurriedly ran not far away, and the leader ran to the horse panting: "The little one is named Meng Dong here, and I don't know how many adults have not been able to greet each other here and hope for forgiveness." ”

Wu Yue: "If you are Lizheng, it will be easy to do, I am the county Cheng Wu Yue is here today to see the salt production of this salt farm, you lead the way." ”

That Meng Dong smiled but gave a subtle glance to the person next to him.

Along the way, there were many large and small workshops, but they didn't seem to have started, Zhang Jian looked around and wondered: "Meng Lizheng, is this village all engaged in boiling salt?" ”

Meng Dong: "Back to my lord, yes." Every household in this village makes a living by boiling salt. ”

Zhang Jian: "Then why haven't any workshops started along the way?" Moreover, the people in the village are also coarse linen clothes, why is the benefit of salt so high? ”

Faced with Zhang Jian's series of questions, Meng Dong hesitated for a long time, but he couldn't answer. Seeing this, Zhang Jian asked again: "Do you know the amount of salt produced in your jurisdiction?" ”

Meng Dong sweated profusely and said: "The small ones are just taxed according to the account books issued by the county, but I don't know the amount of salt produced." ”

Meng Dong didn't know anything about this way, and the workshop didn't start, which really made Wu Yue and Zhang Jian angry.

At the end, Zhang Jian sneered and said to everyone: "Ziyuan, I think let's go, the people here don't seem to welcome us, so let's not delay people to boil salt." ”

Wu Yue comprehended, glanced at Meng Dong coldly, and then ordered to return to the county summer.

As soon as the two returned to the county summer, they told Wei Ze what they had seen and heard today, and Wei Ze also told the two of them to check the salt tax account books of previous years and found nothing, and the account books in the case library were seamless before and after, but sometimes things were too beautiful and self-defeating, and since Cheng Hong took office in Feng County, it was either mountain bandits raging or pirates were rampant, and the output of this salt was low and the tax was low. Is it a little too impatient to check the salt affairs with such fanfare, and finally a few people decided to call Cheng Hong to test it tomorrow.

Fengxian County Ya

As soon as Cheng Hong came back from the county summer, he instructed the housekeeper Meng Yi to call the five major salt merchants under his command to discuss the matter, these five salt merchants were Cheng Hong's concubine's father, the Meng family, Meng Chao and the Luo family, and then the Dai family Dai Le and the Shui family, Shui Ming, Zhuang, Zhuang Xian, several people did not dare to slack off when they heard the news.

Just when a few people were sitting in the study, staring at each other with big eyes and small eyes, I don't know what was going on, Cheng Hong walked in, everyone got up to see the courtesy, but Cheng Hong was full of displeasure and sat down through everyone.

Meng Chao saw that Cheng Hong's face was not good, so he asked tentatively: "My lord, I heard that Lord Taishou invited you to the county summer ...... today. ”

"Arrogance!"

Everyone was startled by Cheng Hong's shouting and didn't dare to speak anymore, Cheng Hong said angrily: "Why didn't anyone come to report me when the people from the county summer went to the salt field yesterday?" ”

Meng Chao said worriedly: "This, but someone came to report this matter yesterday, but the people from the county office didn't do anything, so I thought it was nothing serious, so I didn't report it." ”

Cheng Hong said angrily: "What do you think? Do you think it's a trifle? Today, Nawei called me to the county office and mentioned the matter, and asked me to hand over the detailed accounts for the past years. ”

Meng Chao: "He has only been in Feng County for a few days, so he can't help it?" ”

Cheng Hong: "Do you think he can be compared to those who have been too guarded in the past, this is the prince of Linchuan, I thought that Wei Ji sent a stinky boy to come, but I didn't expect it to come for a purpose, does this Wei Ji want to tear his face with me?" ”

Meng Chao: "My lord, what should we do now?" ”

Cheng Hong: "After you go back, you should pay strict attention to the people in the summer of the county, and let the people under you be stricter and don't say what you shouldn't say." ”

Meng Chao: "What about the fine accounts? ”

Cheng Hong sneered: "Didn't he want it, if we hide it and sit down, then give it to them, and we have to accept it if everyone makes a move." ”

Several people couldn't help but shudder after hearing this, and naturally understood what Cheng Hong meant.