Fang Yankai returned to the county government office, summoned Jiang Yan, and said, "Let Wu Ang come see me."
"Yes." Jiang Yan responded, "Shall I ask Huang Shi to go for a run?"
"No, you go in person."
Jiang Yan was stunned for a moment, and suddenly thought of a small thing.
Yesterday, he heard Huang Shi saying a few words while chatting with several servants.
"Hey, you said Cui Shen, the horseman, became a river patrolman and got a monthly salary of fifteen hundred cents. Not to mention two more stones of grain, do you know how much reward he received yesterday? Ten guans! Damn it, He was killing pigs with a cannon stone on top, hitting several Mongolians with one hit, and stepping on dog shit. He made more in one month than we did in half a year. I saw him this morning, he was so arrogant..."
"Shh, stop talking, Mr. Jiang is here..."
Thinking back on this, Jiang Yan suddenly understood why Fang Yankai no longer used Huang Shi to run errands.
He walked out of the county government office and walked to Wu Ang's home, and another thing came to his mind at the same time.
This time the Mongolian army was defeated, and the rewards and pensions for the river patrolmen had been distributed before yesterday. County Lieutenant Li stayed in the camp for two or three days in a row just to do this.
I don’t know where the money came from.
However, the rewards for the archers in the county have not yet been distributed. On the one hand, the owner's records have to wait for the court to determine the merits, and on the other hand, the county's money and food are insufficient.
In addition, I don't know who recently spread the news that there are more than a thousand stones of grain in the county warehouse. County Lieutenant Li proposed to withdraw it, but the landlord's bookkeeper did not agree.
It stands to reason that there is nothing wrong in what the landlord did in this matter. This is the practice of the imperial court.
At that time, there were several victories in Sichuan and Shu, and military rewards were delayed intermittently for several years. Until Jie Jie died, the Yu family had to be confiscated and three thousand guans were used to reward the soldiers.
The landlord followed the court rules and worked diligently, but County Lieutenant Li did not abide by the rules. As a result, the people in the county were biased. This is really unreasonable.
The traitorous party is the traitorous party, which has ruined the simple atmosphere of Qingfu County and made the petty officials only focus on the little money.
It can only be said that the world is declining and people's hearts are no longer ancient...
In the county government tea room, Jiang Chun and Fang Yankai sat across from each other.
The two of them had a tacit understanding and did not go back to Houya separately.
After a while, Jiang Chun spoke first: "When spring comes, I will be transferred to another place. There are some things that I really don't know the inside story of."
"County Magistrate, there are only you and me here. Can you please speak directly if you have anything to say?"
"All right."
Fang Yankai said: "The county magistrate can't help but see that Li Feiyu killed him."
Jiang Chun sighed, made tea with his own hands, pondered, and said, "Can Qingfu County afford five hundred river patrolmen?"
Fang Yankai simply said: "I can't afford it."
"If we can survive the autumn defense this year, what do we plan to do?"
"It's just the word 'abolition'."
Fang Yankai said, sighed, and added: "It's not that I don't want to train the local brave to defend the country, but I will settle this account with the county magistrate. According to Li Feiyu's actions, five hundred people will spend twenty-four thousand per year. Thousands of strings, meters and seven thousand stones, not including cloth and armor.
There is also a military reward. I estimate that he spent at least several thousand guan on this military reward, but I don’t know where the money came from. In this way, the annual fee is more than 50,000 guan.
Keqingfu is in the lower county. The sum of the summer and autumn taxes can't keep 10,000 yuan a year. There is absolutely no possibility of maintaining 500 troops for a long time. There is no other choice but to abolish them."
Jiang Chun was not as confused as he usually seemed, and said: "Therefore, Li Feiyu killed Zhang Yuanming because of more than just personal grudges. Maybe he got the military reward this time from the Zhang family. Otherwise, he wouldn't have Will be so determined...Young people are eager to make contributions."
"The county magistrate means that he is determined to support these five hundred people?"
"good."
"Wrongful behavior!"
Fang Yankai shook his head.
Jiang Chun poured two cups of tea and divided them.
"Zhengshu, what can you do to Li Feiyu? Seize his military power? Not to mention that this is the power of the county captain, but you have the courage of Li Feiyu. You would rather seize Zhang Yuanming's wealth than resolutely support this patrol.
hand?"
"I cannot do such an act of disobedience to the law."
"Not only do I know that you are a decent man, but the five hundred river patrolmen also know that. Don't think of them as stupid. They know that you can't support them, so they can't betray Li Feiyu and obey your orders."
Fang Yankai snorted: "They are simply private soldiers!"
"They are capable and courageous. They are willing to spend money to recruit soldiers, and they still defended the county. What can you do?"
The room was silent.
Jiang Chun asked again: "Assassination of Li Feiyu... I guess Zhengshu can't do such a thing?"
Fang Yankai waved his hand and said: "The county magistrate's words are serious, I don't dare to act like this."
"Then the official letter is going to be submitted to the court?"
Fang Yankai's face became increasingly bitter.
Jiang Chundao: "Let's not care about Li Feiyu's backing in the court. Now that the Mongolian army has cut off the Yangtze River, can it still be reported to the court? I'm afraid that before the memorial is sent out, your and my heads will be put in the box, right?"
"I understand what the county magistrate said. So it didn't happen tonight."
"That's it." Jiang Chun said: "Fortunately, although Li Feiyu is keen on meritorious deeds, he is not a petty person. This time, he is willing to share the merits of the battle with you and me. Next year, you and I will move to either side, so why bother ourselves?
"
Fang Yankai said: "He is so rebellious and unethical!"
"I understand, I understand. Your term of office has not yet expired, right? How about I take care of your vacancy?"
Fang Yankai narrowed his eyes, seeming to be thinking...
It was at this time that Jiang Yan came back.
Fang Yankai confessed his crime to Jiang Chun and walked out of the tea room.
"Where's Wu Ang?"
Jiang Yan said: "I said I went to have a drink with Bao San. I don't know where I am. The student asked his wife to come over when he gets home."
Fang Yankai sighed, waved his hand, and turned back to the waiter.
Jiang Chun held the teacup and warmed his hands. Although he didn't hear Fang Yankai talking to Jiang Yan, he still asked, "Do you want to find Wu Ang?"
"good."
"Li Feiyu has made arrangements?"
Fang Yankai said in a muffled "Hmm" voice, "He asked Bao San to invite Wu Ang away."
"Original book, regardless of bravery, planning, backing... these are all ignored, just the courage to do things, Li Feiyu is a madman. There will be other people to deal with the madman, why should you and I be enemies?"
Fang Yankai closed his eyes and thought for a while, then said: "County Magistrate, let me say a few words from my heart... Tonight, I was indeed caught off guard by Li Feiyu, and I don't know what to do."
"I understand, he acts too decisively, too decisively."
"There are only two paths before us. One is to cover it up with Li Feiyu. The advantage is that the big burden of Zhang Yuanming is thrown away. With the financial resources of the Zhang family, Qingfu County can not only cope with this autumn's defense, but also the money and food in the next few years."
enough."
Jiang Chun said: "What's wrong with that? Isn't this a good thing? If one Zhang family dies, the whole county will be rich. What's wrong with that?"
"County magistrate! Do you know what you are doing?!"
"Okay, okay, I made a mistake. But you should know that Li Feiyu did it in secret. You and I can both imagine what he will do next. It is nothing more than controlling Zhang Yuanming's young grandson and swallowing up the Zhang family secretly.
As long as he does it beautifully, who knows?
At least, he did not convict the Zhang family of a serious crime and confiscate the family and exterminate the family. We did not need to send the case up to the Xantai and the Ministry of Punishment, so as not to alarm the Zhang family. Zhang Yuanming died in the hands of the escaped captives, and you and I don't know the slightest reason.
It has nothing to do with you or me."
"No." Fang Yankai said: "If he and Li Feiyu keep this matter secret, the celebration talisman will be his decision in the future."
Jiang Chun asked: "You don't want to transfer?"
"Don't coax me, county magistrate. I may not be able to transfer smoothly."
"I'll take care of it for you."
"County magistrate, there is really no need to coax me."
Jiang Chun smiled bitterly and said, "You don't have a second person to follow."
Fang Yankai said: "There is also Shi Zhizhou. Li Feiyu has five hundred river patrols. There is nothing I can do to stop him in Qingfu County. But if Shi Zhizhou takes action, it will not be difficult to capture him."
"Absolutely not, the Mongolian army is still besieging Xuzhou."
"The Mongolian army will head east soon."
"At this time of year, it is really not appropriate for you to cause such trouble to Zhizhou."
"Causing trouble? How rebellious is it for a county captain to kill people and seize property? How can you and I, as pastors and guardians, really condone this?"
At this point, Fang Yankai continued: "The county magistrate said that Li Feiyu is a madman and he is unwilling to confront the madman. But it is precisely because this madman is breaking the rules that we should stop him, right? This is also for his own good and teach him a lesson.
How does he become an official?"
Jiang Chun drank tea and didn't answer.
Fang Yankai asked again: "The county magistrate is willing to write a joint letter with me?"
"Zhengshu, why bother? It's better to do less than to do more."
"You and I are ministers of the Song Dynasty, and we must protect the laws of the Song Dynasty."
Jiang Chundao: "It's very troublesome to investigate, especially at this time..."
"No trouble." Fang Yankai said, "Zhang Shizhuo is not dead yet."
"So what? Li Feiyu said he was going to track down the prisoners, so he must have gone to kill Zhang Shizhuo. As you said, he will handle the matter thoroughly."
"He can't handle it cleanly." Fang Yankai shook his head, moved closer, and said, "It might make sense to say that the prisoners escaped and met Zhang Yuanming and his son and killed them. But then, these prisoners
He fled into Yuan's house and killed Zhang Shizhuo, how can it be justified?"
Jiang Chun stroked his beard and murmured: "It doesn't make sense..."
"A bit? How ridiculous is this!" Fang Yankai said: "County magistrate, you said that you and I didn't know anything about this, but you did it with such flaws, who would believe it? How will you and I respond when the Zhang family asks me about it in the future?
Li Feiyu has done something so rough. Once it is exposed, he will offend the Zhang family in the future. How can the scholar-bureaucrats in the Manchu Dynasty treat us like this? The county magistrate should have a long-term plan!"
At this point, Jiang Chun finally hesitated.
"County magistrate?"
"Let's see how Li Feiyu does it." Jiang Chun murmured: "Let's see if he can handle things beautifully."
In the tea room, the two of them drank tea and waited in silence...