The conversation took place at the home of the village elders.

When the village elders saw the county magistrate coming in person, they were nervous and waited carefully.

Liu An and his entourage totaled more than 30 people, and there were not enough Hu beds in their hometowns, so they hurriedly asked their families to go to the neighbor's house to borrow Hu beds for the officials to sit on.

Liu An stopped the villagers, pulled a bed and sat down in the courtyard, Liu Bei and the guards insisted on standing aside to guard, Liu An didn't care about them, and beckoned the villagers to sit down.

The villager has already arranged for someone to invite the rank and tour here, and there is a guard guard at the door, Liu An asked the guard to wait at the door first.

There are few people in the border counties, and most of them are small villages.

There are three elders in the Han township, which are the township elders: Zhangyi Township Education; Sifu: In charge of a township administration, both tax collection; Seizure: Arrest thieves and manage law and order.

Among them, the post of Sifu is owned by the big township, and the small township is called rank, and the function is the same as that of the sifu.

Liu An chatted with the villagers about the livelihood of the villagers and agricultural affairs, and learned that the drought in Jiuyuan is not as serious as in Zhuo County, but because there is no one to lead the construction of water conservancy here, it is very inconvenient to irrigate the fields, and the people live a life of not having enough to eat all year round, and sometimes they will starve to death.

Last year, the Hu people invaded and stole a lot of grain, and after eating the little grain they had hidden, they could only rely on borrowing grain from the powerful in the city to survive.

But the borrowed grain will have to be repaid sooner or later, and it will be doubled, and it is really unaffordable, so it can only be repaid by selling the land, and when the land is sold, it will be sold to the property, and the family property will be gone, so you can only sell yourself to Haoqiang.

But if they don't borrow food, they won't be able to survive even ten days, and they will starve to death.

After chatting with the villager for a while, Liu An saw that the villager elder's face was full of sadness, but his nervousness had subsided a lot.

So he asked: "This official sent people to the countryside to recruit soldiers yesterday and the day before yesterday, and the young and strong people in the family can eat military food and pay when they are drafted, but very few people apply, I don't know why?" ”

Could it be that the common people have become so disappointed in the imperial court that they would rather sell themselves and be powerful than contribute to the imperial court?

Liu An didn't say this sentence, if he said it, the villager would be terrified, it would be disrespectful to admit this sentence, since it was impossible to admit it, it would be meaningless for Liu An to ask.

When the villager heard Liu An ask, he suddenly became nervous again.

He first glanced at Liu An in fear, and saw that Liu An did not show any signs of angry questioning, so he said unnaturally:

"Xu is that the young people in the township are afraid of the Hu people, afraid of dying on the battlefield, and dare not enlist? The villain doesn't know why......"

Liu An felt that the old villager was not telling the truth, but he didn't want to force him, so he said lightly: "In this case, for the time being, I will borrow the old courtyard of the township for a while, and the official still has some things to ask about Youzhi and Youyou." ”

"The villain will go to the next door and wait first." Seeing that Liu An did not continue to ask, the villager hurriedly said goodbye, and after walking out of the courtyard, the villager nervously wiped the fine beads of sweat oozing from his forehead.

Then Liu An called Youzhi and You Yi into the courtyard respectively, and after chatting with each other, they asked the same question, and the result was the same conclusion, not much difference.

Seeing this, Liu An called the villager back, said goodbye to the three villagers, and went to the next township.

Consecutive visits to Sanxiang turned out to be about the same.

During this period, Liu An also found more than 20 ordinary people and asked Liu Bei to inquire about the news alone, several of which either did not know that there was a conscription, or there was no man of appropriate age in the family, or the young and strong people in the family did not intend to apply, but most of them were unanimous.

That is the fear that you will never be able to borrow food again.

Liu Bei asked him why he could no longer borrow food when he was drafted, but they couldn't speak.

In the end, Liu An came to the township that had recruited the most soldiers before, and finally got the answer.

According to Hongxiang You, the three elders of those townships live with Haoqiang all the year round, and have a very close relationship with Haoqiang.

They knew that Haoqiang and the county magistrate Taishou did not deal with each other, and now they saw Liu An coming to recruit soldiers, and they all showed their loyalty, and threatened the villagers that those who dared to enlist would no longer be able to borrow food, hoping to further their relationship with Haoqiang.

This matter was not the intention of the powerful leaders, but they made their own decisions.

Only then did Liu An understand why he asked why he couldn't recruit soldiers, the reason why the three elders were nervous and afraid.

However, there are still three elders who have their hearts set on the court.

Liu An looked at the wandering in front of him and asked, "If you tell me about this, aren't you afraid that they will retaliate against you?" Aren't you afraid of local tyrants targeting you? ”

This You You is a young man who is less than twenty years old, and it seems that he should not be able to reach the crown yet, and when he heard Liu An ask, he said angrily:

"Since I was a child, I have been determined to serve the country, throw my head for the country, and shed blood for the people, and I have long been unaccustomed to what those heroes do!"

Speaking of this, a faint arrogance flashed on his face, and he continued: "And my uncle is the captain of Wuyuan, and they don't dare to be so bold!" ”

Liu An nodded suddenly, it turned out to be a Haoqiang child who was still in the period of secondary two illness.

The villagers in this township are old and ranked, and it is estimated that they are also angry with this person, and they obey his words, so they do not flatter the local heroes like the three elders of other townships, and hinder Liu An's recruitment.

However, since this person is the nephew of Du Wei Cheng Ze, it will be of great benefit to Liu An's future actions, whether it is to persuade the other three elders not to obstruct it anymore, or to submit Du Wei Cheng Ze, he can help.

The governor of the border county is an official of the imperial court, and he cannot be moved lightly without reason, and he will accept it if he can accept it.

Of course, if you find a reason, Liu An will definitely be able to find it, after all, there is no strong net worth who is innocent.

It's just that Cheng Ze is not only an official of the imperial court, but also a local hero, who has been operating here for many years, and with his help, Liu An will get twice the result with half the effort when he incorporates his corporal clan.

So Liu An nodded, and praised this person's ideological ambitions, and listened to the satisfaction of this weak-crowned young man.

Finally, Liu An asked again: "Don't know the name of the righteous man?" ”

"Back to County Magistrate Liu, in Xia Menglan, the character Yuan Pu" The young man said with his fist clasped at Liu An.

Liu An had already looked at this person's attribute panel just now, and knew that his force value was 51 points, so he naturally gave birth to a heart of love.

Tried to solicit: "This official intends to rectify the local heroes, and he needs the help of a righteous man like Meng Youxi, I don't know if You Youyi is willing to work with this official to plan great things?" ”

"I don't dare to ask for ears!" Meng Lan clenched her fists again and responded happily.

Liu An was overjoyed, stepped forward to hold Meng Lan's hands, and said excitedly: "With Yuan Pu's help, this official is like a tiger with wings!" ”

Seeing that Meng Lan's physiognomy had become loyalty, Liu An immediately used the Death Card for him.

After that, Liu An called Liu Bei and a few others, entered the guest hall of Meng Lan's house, closed the door, and secretly discussed how to persuade the three elders from other townships.

At first, Liu Bei was still a little wary of Meng Lan, who had just invested in Liu An, but after Liu An explained that Meng Lan was credible, Liu Bei was relieved to make a suggestion.

"In order to prepare, it is better to raise the masses in the name of building a manor, the three elders dare not help their uncle, and the thing they are worried about is nothing more than the hostility between the uncle and Haoqiang. Uncle is a court official, he will definitely leave when he is promoted, even if he suppresses Haoqiang for a while, after leaving, Haoqiang will still take revenge on the three elders. If you can't suppress Haoqiang, the result will be the same. ”

Liu An nodded, feeling that what Liu Bei said was very reasonable, and motioned for him to continue.

"If you recruit Xiang Yong in the name of building a manor, and then let Yuan Pu come forward, saying that Cheng Duwei also agrees with his uncle to build a manor, and has a great relationship with his uncle, Yuan Pu is Cheng Duwei's nephew, and if he comes forward and speaks, he will definitely be able to convince the three elders!"

Liu An looked at Meng Lan again and asked, "What does Yuan Pu think?" ”

Meng Lan solemnly replied: "Lan should do his best!" ”

"In addition......" Liu Bei continued, "You can also encourage the three elders with money and let them voluntarily persuade the young men to participate in the draft." ”

When Liu An heard Liu Bei say this, he had already guessed what Liu Bei was going to say, but he still said, "Let's talk about it specifically." ”

"You can order the three elders to persuade the young people in the township to apply, and each person will be rewarded with ten yuan, so that after dispelling the concerns in their hearts, they will actively lobby the young people in the township to apply."

Seeing that what Liu Bei said was really the same as what he thought in his heart, Liu An said:

"Okay, that's it! Xuande, after lunch, you arrange for the escort team to invite all the villagers of Jiuyuan County here, and you will solve this matter today! ”

"No!" Liu Bei responded.

At noon, Meng Lan entertained Liu An and his party for lunch, and after the meal, all the escorts rode and dispersed to various townships, and invited all the three elders to Meng Lan's house in the name of Liu An.

It wasn't until late afternoon that all the villagers in Jiuyuan County arrived at Meng Lan's house.

Liu An sat in the guest hall, and Liu Bei, instead of Liu An, said that the veteran county magistrate wanted to build a manor and recruit the villagers.

He also said that during the construction of the manor, all the villagers were in charge of their own meals and did not need to bring their own meals.

Then, Meng Lan came forward to say that his uncle ordered him to follow County Magistrate Liu to do things, and at the same time told that Cheng Ze also agreed that Liu An would recruit Xiang Yong to build a manor.

At this time, many villagers couldn't sit still.

They originally wanted to obstruct the county magistrate to tie up Haoqiang, but now that Haoqiang and the county magistrate are wearing the same pants, then they and the others are not only hot faces and cold butts, but also worried about the county magistrate punishing them.

Liu An saw the three elders with different colors in the hall, and did not make any moves.

And the three elders already hated Haoqiang and had a heart for the county magistrate, but they were forced to follow the general trend, but at this time they were worried.

This county magistrate has also colluded with Haoqiang, and I am afraid that the life of ordinary people will be even more difficult in the future.

The previous county magistrate resolutely refused to yield to the strong, and the people's life had just passed a little, and now they had to return to the original point.

Alas!

They are just small three elders, and they can't decide the fate of the people, so they can only swallow their helplessness in their stomachs.

Liu An noticed several people with different faces in the hall, secretly remembered them in his heart, and whispered to Zhang Fei nearby, asking him to investigate the details of those people.

Then, Liu Bei said that every township elder, rank, and wanderer can persuade the young people in the township to apply, and every time a young man is successfully recruited, he will be rewarded with ten cents.

The three elders in the hall were overjoyed when they saw that the county magistrate had not held themselves accountable for their faults and that benefits had been paid.

It was only at this time that Liu An stood up and said: "This is the case, I think you have already known, tomorrow the Japanese officials will send people to recruit villagers in various villages, this official looks forward to your performance, don't let this official down!" ”

After speaking, Liu An walked out of the guest hall first, and then Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, Lu Bu and the guards followed one by one.

When he came to the courtyard, Liu An led his horse, and when Meng Lan came out, he instructed him:

"Yuan Pu, you stay in the township first, and then come to the county government after the recruitment is over. If you have any situation during this period, you can go directly to the county office to find me. ”

"No!" Meng Lan responded.

After that, Liu An took a group back to the county office, and the next day, Liu Bei and Zhang Fei began to lead people to recruit troops in the countryside.

This recruitment went a lot smoother, and the two returned to Liu An that night, and at the end of the day, with the help of the three elders, a total of 110 people were recruited.

At the same time, the manor outside Liu An is also in full swing under construction.

Liu An extracted the 60 kilograms of fine salt from the inventory and exchanged it with Haoqiang for food for everyone under his name.

These local buns in the border counties are strong, and they are shocked by the fine salt that Liu An took out, and they like it very much, and they are willing to exchange ten stones of grain for Liu An's pound of fine salt.

Of course, the jin here refers to a catty of the Han Dynasty.

Liu An took out ten kilograms of fine salt and exchanged it for four hundred stone grains, and the rest was temporarily kept.

Liu An is the magistrate of Jiuyuan County, even if the local heroes covet the fine salt in Liu An's hands, they don't dare to do anything to him on the surface, and Liu An only uses salt to exchange grain with them, strictly speaking, it is not considered to sell illegal salt.

After five consecutive days of recruitment, plus the more than 100 people recruited before, Liu Bei and the others raised a total of 609 people, and from the third day, the number of villagers recruited began to decline.

Liu An has read the records of the county government, Jiuyuan County is not a hidden household, the population is less than 5,000 people, and the recruitment of 609 people is basically about to reach the limit of Jiuyuan County.

So Liu An ordered to stop recruiting troops, and selected nine people from the six hundred and nine people who did not meet the physical fitness test, made up six hundred people, divided into three groups, each group of 200 people, and handed them over to Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and Gao Shun to command.

Liu An's 100 escorts, as Liu An's personal guards, were all handed over to Lu Bu to command.

In the past few days, Liu An did not stay in the county government to drink tea and read books, but worked with the township Yong who built the manor outside the city, and would eat with the villager Yong during meals and breaks, chatting and joking with him with a peaceful attitude.

Xiang Yong was naturally trembling at first, and he didn't dare to breathe.

But when they saw that the county magistrate was really approachable, they did not look down on themselves like the county officials, but regarded him as equals, and slowly let go of their fears and talked and laughed with Liu Anyou.

After losing their fear, not only did they not disrespect Liu An, on the contrary, they respected Liu An even more as a human being, and after returning home after a day of work, they talked to their families about the new county magistrate, and they were also full of praise.

In the past few days, Liu An not only let them have a full meal, but also a meat dish every day, which made the simple villagers very moved.

So a few days later, Liu An won the allegiance of more than 400 people.

Coupled with the contribution points he had saved before, as well as the contributions provided by Zhuoxian Manor recently, and a few points provided by Meng Lan's servants, Liu An now has a total of 70 contributions.

The manor outside the city began to be built on the second day of arriving in Jiuyuan, and ten days have passed, and at this time a two-entry mansion has been built, and only a second-entry mansion has been built.

The manor here Liu An is only used to unlock the wartime lottery plate, and there is no need to build it as big and sturdy as the one in Zhuo County.

So on the second day after the recruitment stopped, Liu An moved into the mansion outside the city, and while pretending to order the six hundred Xiangyong to continue to expand, he invited a patriarch of Jiuyuan Xiaohaoqiang to come to the manor for a banquet.

At the same time, Liu An let his 100 guards surround the residential courtyard and did not allow anyone to enter the courtyard without his permission.

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