The Yellow River was turbulent, and the boat was swaying toward the north bank.
Gradually, it was possible to see the Mongolian and Han troops stationed near the ferry on the north bank.
Seeing this situation, Yuan Congzheng couldn't help but turn to a few soldiers on the boat, salute and ask: "I dare to ask, since we want to send the students back to Shanxi, why don't we disembark from the countryside?"
"This is the Yellow River. Where can we easily reach the shore?"
Yuan Congzhengdao: "When I brought the students here, I walked from the beach..."
"Ah? Oh, there are enemy soldiers guarding there too. Don't we want to try taking the ferry?"
Arrows were fired from the other side, splashing water in front of the boat.
The soldiers quickly held their shields and shouted: "Don't fire arrows! Your grandfather is an official of the Song Dynasty!"
The arrows were even denser, and there were also Mongolian and Han troops on the other side yelling at each other.
"I'm going to shoot you Song bandits!"
"Goulu! I heard what grandpa told you. Grandpa has captured a scholar from Shanxi Province. Yuan Congzheng of Jiufeng Academy refuses to surrender to the Song Dynasty. Now send him back!"
"Fire arrows! Shoot these Song bandits to death!"
"Jiufeng Academy, Yuan Congzheng, he wants to go back!"
"..."
"You can go to Shanxi to pick up the young people, but you can't send me back." Yuan Congsheng murmured to himself, seemingly helpless, and pulled the soldier who shouted, "Turn around, I'm Li Shuai."
That’s the effectiveness.”
"Hey, these bastards won't let you go back, sir. Don't be angry, sir. The commander-in-chief will definitely use you... turn around!"
The ship rowed southward again.
Yuan Congzheng turned his head to look at the north bank and sighed.
"Sir, please don't sigh. We'll find a way next time. This is what happened when we went to Shanxi. We can't succeed every time."
"That's all, I can't go back." Yuan Cong was looking to the southeast, then glanced at the water of the Yellow River, and said: "The reason why I have scruples is that I am afraid that the commander-in-chief cannot sit firmly in Guanzhong."
"Huh? The handsome man is very stable."
"Let's talk about Tongguan. The danger of Tongguan is not only in Guancheng, but also in Jindou Pass in the east..." Yuan stopped at this point from his main words.
"Sir, don't worry, the commander-in-chief has ordered the general to take Jin Douguan."
Yuan Congzheng said: "There is Hangu Pass to the east."
"Follow Menglu and take them all together."
"Oh? I wonder which general is so heroic? And he is also familiar with the terrain."
"Hehe, there are many heroes in the commander's tent."
Yuan Conzheng smiled, sat down, picked up an arrow that fell on the edge of the boat, played with it, thought about it, and finally handed it to the Song soldiers to put it away...
Chang'an.
In the government office, Yang Guo and Wu Qian discussed several matters and handed over a list of names.
"Wu Gong, let's take a look. This is the list of officials I selected. They are all the heroes of Guanzhong..."
Wu Qian frowned slightly, considered his words, and said slowly: "I'm afraid it's against the rules. When the good news is sent back to Lin'an, the court should also appoint officials..."
Yang Guo smiled and said: "We are going to Lin'an here, and the mountains and rivers are far away. When the Central Committee decides, I am afraid that no officials will take office next year. How can we wait? But I don't know what the regular system was for the imperial court to regain lost territory in the past?"
The tone was not sarcastic, but there was clearly a hint of sarcasm in it.
How had the Song Dynasty regained several lost territories?
Wu Qian straightened his sleeves, calmly waved away a trace of smoke from the incense burner on his desk, and said: "According to the normal system, the local demoted official will temporarily take charge of the matter, and wait for the court to send officials to replace him."
"Having said that, before Lian Xixian evacuated, he had moved a large number of officials east of Chang'an to Henan and Shanxi, and not even official documents were left."
"Not only officials, but also Confucian scholars were taken away. I have never seen such... a petty attitude." Wu Qian said: "But this is not an easy task. It can only be done by someone with significant prestige."
"Therefore, the standing system is no longer feasible." Yang Guo said, "We have no choice but to let the commander-in-chief establish the power through the system and appoint officials expediently. After all, the security of Guanzhong is the most important thing."
"According to what Mr. Yang said...if these many appointments continue, after a year and a half, the imperial court will be unable to make any adjustments. Is it possible that Feiyu will have to open the office of Yitong and the Third Division?"
Faced with Wu Qian's provocation, Yang Guo pretended to drink tea and turned a blind eye.
After the tea cup was put down, Yang Guo said: "If Mr. Wu has any government arrangements in the future, he only needs to instruct these people on the list. Call them to meet with Mr. Wu in the afternoon?"
"That's fine." Wu Qian nodded.
Sichuan envoys do have the right to recommend. For example, Yu Jie used brothers Ran Jing and Ran Pu as the shogunate to build Diaoyu City, and later recommended them to be the magistrate of Hezhou and guard Diaoyu City.
As for the moment, whether it was a temporary measure or an ulterior motive, Li Xia gave the power of personnel appointment to Yang Guo instead of Wu Qian.
After all, he himself just faked his death to escape and acted as an aide to the government.
What needs to be said has been made clear, and Wu Qian has no right to dwell on these matters. He said: "Tell us about those people who caused trouble in the city yesterday. Is it because of the Mongols?"
"This is a bit strange. We have not made any noise about immediately abolishing Mongolian banknotes."
"It's understandable that people are worried that the banknotes in their hands will turn into waste paper." Wu Qian muttered, "But with such a movement, there must be something subtle to stir it up."
"Military information came from Huazhou that Lian Xixian was dead. Seeing that he had nowhere to escape, he threw himself into the fire and died."
"Throw into fire?"
Yang Guo smiled and said: "The corpses have been sent back, what's the difference between real ones and fake ones? They are dead."
"Yes, Wu Qian is also dead."
"Mr. Wu, please don't say that."
Wu Qian sighed and said slowly: "I find it strange that Lian Xixian sent out his craftsmen to stir up disputes. For him, water far away cannot save the fire close by, so why waste his craftsmen doing this?"
"That's right. When these details came to fruition, he had them executed. Presumably, these details also heard that he was dead and began to act without authorization, which caused trouble."
"We can't catch them all, we have to come up with a management strategy as soon as possible."
"The farmland has not been settled yet, but there is a money issue...Does Mr. Wu have a good plan?"
Wu Qian said: "There's no rush. We'll wait until I get to know this Mongolian concubine first before we talk..."
Tongguan.
Lin Zi has also been busy recently. The Military Intelligence Department has to pass all information to Li Xia and then distribute Li Xia's orders; details of operations to the west of Tongguan need to be investigated, and manpower to the east of Tongguan has to be sent out to gather information; at the same time, people have to be sent to News about visiting Zhang family girls on the north bank of the Yellow River...
In the evening, while he was talking to the spies on Guancheng, he saw his men bringing Yuan Congzheng back. Although he was busy, he interrupted the conversation, stepped forward enthusiastically, and took Yuan Congzheng's hands.
"Mr. Yuan is back? That's great! From now on, you and I will work together under the Marshal."
There was another bear hug as he spoke, and within a moment, Yuan Congzheng's sleeves, pouch and other places where things could be hidden had been touched with great familiarity by Lin Zi.
It's just a normal process. Since entering Guanzhong, among all the northerners who have met Li Xia, except for the Taoist nun from Lianping Temple, Luoning and Zhang, there are only a few people who have not been searched by Lin Zi. At this time, this is the most polite way. .
"Okay, please invite Mr. Yuan to see the Marshal... You two, go get some tea for Mr. Yuan and wait for orders outside the door."
Lin Zi finished the arrangements smoothly and sent Yuan Congzheng to see Li Xia. A horse was rushing over there, but there was news from Chang'an.
He stroked his forehead, and when the visitor came forward, he only heard a report.
"Envoy, there is trouble again in Chang'an. Someone spread the rumor that we were going to abolish the Mongolian Chu coins. They gathered people and looted the shops. Liu Yuanzhen suppressed it, but now the shops in Chang'an dare not open their doors..."
"I know, catch the rat as soon as possible."
"..."
Lin Zi received the information, sorted it out personally, and then sent it to Li Xia.
I saw Li Xia and Yuan Cong sitting opposite each other, talking for a long time. There were many documents and account books on the table.
And Yuan Congzheng already had a subordinate attitude.
That is to say, it has progressed to the point where complex tasks have begun to be shared...
Lin Zigong held his hand, whispered to Li Xia about Chang'an, and handed the information over.
"It doesn't matter, the foundation for dealing with spies is the stability of the people. Just keep watching."
"yes……"
The forest retreated again.
But that night, he passed by the city tower several times and turned around to see that the lights in the hall were still on, but Li Xia was confronting Yuan Congzheng until late at night...
Early the next morning, Yuan Congzheng brought several account books to Li Xia again.
"I have already calculated what the Marshal ordered last night. Among them, there is something wrong with the food and salary expenses along the way from Dasanguan Ordnance to Tongguan. Taking water transportation through the Wei River can actually save about 20% compared to the Marshal's estimate..."
Li Xia said: "I don't know the situation of the Wei River, so I reserved more."
"There are still a few places that students have marked. Calculating, we should be able to save 980 shi of food."
"Let me take a look." Li Xia took the account book and asked casually: "He Yi is very familiar with Guanzhong? He even knows the carrying capacity of the rivers?"
Yuan Congzhengdao: "Jiufeng Academy is right at the ferry of the Yellow River. I often hear it from businessmen in the past."
"good."
Li Xia didn't expect him to be so efficient. After thinking about it, he pulled out an official document and handed it over.
"Concerning the matter of farming in Guanzhong, our shogunate has also drafted a charter. Let's take a look."
Yuan Congzheng took it and glanced at it. He saw that a few pages had been removed and no signature could be seen. After looking at it carefully for a while, he couldn't help but wonder: "The Marshal Shogunate has such a talent for governing the world?"
"The talent of the prime minister?"
"The talent of the prime minister." Yuan Congzheng said without hesitation: "This major project was planned by the commander-in-chief, right? But the details of the allocation and scheduling... are so sophisticated and thoughtful that even after twenty or thirty years of being immersed in officialdom, they can't do it.
To this point."
"Well, in the Song Dynasty, an important official committed a serious crime. As a last resort, he faked his death and escaped, working under my curtain and showing off his talents."
When Yuan Conzheng heard this, he raised his head, glanced at the two guards behind Li Xia, smiled, and replied: "That's it."
"Does Heyi have any other suggestions?"
"I don't dare to talk about suggestions in front of such great talents. Let's talk about the Guanzhong land." Yuan Congzheng pondered and said slowly: "Guanzhong is different from Jiangnan. There is a large loess plateau, about two million acres.
A more suitable farming method is to plant wheat in winter and beans in summer. The bean poles can also be used as fodder for horses. In addition, students believe that it is not appropriate to reclassify all the pastures that the marshals took back from the Mongolians as fields. The fertility can be
The areas that are not enough are marked out, and cattle and sheep are raised..."
Li Xia understood that it was nothing more than a combination of farming and animal husbandry, and he even had a richer general theory.
But the governance is different. When it comes to what kind of soil and what crops should be planted in which season; how to distribute various crops to achieve the maximum output; which areas have a large population and need more food, and which areas have a small population?
Livestock…
All these details require a thorough investigation of the local population, soil, water, and sunlight before they can be implemented.
After listening for a long time, Li Xia smiled and poured Yuan Conzheng a cup of tea.
"I haven't traveled all over Guanzhong and haven't understood Guanzhong for three to five years. I'm afraid I can't make such suggestions, right?"
"Students also heard from merchants and travellers. They talk about military affairs on paper. How to do it specifically requires the commander-in-chief to send officials who are familiar with farming to the states and counties."
"On paper?"
"yes."
Li Xia asked again: "What does He Yi think of me wiping out the Mongolian princes and nobles and taking back a large amount of pasture?"
"Very satisfying."
"real?"
Yuan Congzheng raised his head, hesitated for a moment, smiled and nodded heavily.
"It's really satisfying."
Li Xia called a guard and said, "Bring Mr. Yuan some wine and food."
Yuan Congzheng was watching the guard walk out, with an imperceptible doubt flashing in his eyes. Then he straightened up a bit, lowered his head slightly, frowned and thought while looking at the documents on the case.
"I've shown my sincerity, how about Heyi showing off some of his talents?"
Li Xia said, handing over the information about Chang'an that Lin Zi sent yesterday, and said, "I wonder what He Yi thinks of Mongolian banknotes?"
"Is this...someone making trouble?"
"It's a small thing, but it reminded me that money is a big deal." Li Xia pondered: "Dividing acres of land can only make some people's hearts happy, but it's not enough. There are still a large number of rich farmers and small landowners in Guanzhong, especially those who live in the city.
What I care about is money."
Yuan Congzheng thought for a while and said slowly: "Mongolian banknotes began to circulate as early as when Kublai Khan was running Monan."
"Yes, it was there when Shi Tianze and Zhao Bi were in charge of Henan. Later, Lian Xixian, Shang Ting were in charge of Guanzhong, and Wang Dechen was in charge of Lizhou. There was a large amount of material transshipment, and Mongolian banknotes have been circulating for more than ten years."
"Think about it, if I were a commoner in Guanzhong, and I was asked to exchange the money in my hands for the Huizi of the Song Dynasty... I would not agree."
"I wouldn't accept it," Li Xia said, "but it's impossible for us to use Mongolian banknotes for a long time."
"Copper coins..."
"I don't." Li Xia said simply and neatly: "I am poor and useless."
Yuan Congzheng smiled, poured a cup of tea for Li Xia, and said, "Why does the commander need to exchange copper coins for banknotes with the people?"
"Then whose copper coins are you taking?"
"Students heard...I heard that in Ogedai, since the reign of Empress Naimazhen, Mongolia has handed over taxation to Semu merchants. The same is true now in various places in Shanxi, with Semu merchants mostly collecting taxes."
"Tax package? But the most influential Semu businessman in Guanzhong has fled with Lian Xixian."
"There is no end to the escape, and the students probably won't be able to escape." Yuan Congzheng said: "The students also guess that if we investigate carefully, most of the merchants in Chang'an City are backed by lustful people."
"Are they willing to exchange money for me?"
"As long as the commander-in-chief agrees to let them exchange the coins, they can pass freely, and they can make a lot of money by taking the coins to the north." Yuan Congzheng mused: "Even if there are some who are unwilling, just kill the chicken to scare the monkeys, no matter what
I’m worried that this won’t work out.”
"In this way, we can deal with Mongolia again." Li Xia said: "But I don't know which merchants have sexy people as their backers? Can we force all the merchants to give copper coins to exchange money for me? Then there will be chaos in Guanzhong."
"Lamb Lee." Yuan Congzheng said: "I don't know what students are like in Guanzhong... But in Shanxi, those who herd lamb Lee must have the support of lustful people behind them."
Li Xia said: "It seems that He Yi really doesn't know. When Lian Xixian was in Guanzhong, he corrected the method of borrowing money."
"Although the law is correct, I wonder if Lian Xixian has eliminated those people?"
"Okay, now that I have arrived at Tongguan, I can use my hands to investigate the matter in detail and use their heads to establish my authority."
"The commander is more thoughtful."
Seeing that the food and wine had not yet been served, Li Xia turned around and ordered the remaining guard: "Go and hurry up the food and wine."
After that, he casually praised: "How could I have been so careful? It was He Yi who reminded me so well."
Yuan Congzheng turned around and responded: "Students are just talking about scholars, for fear of delaying important events."
"How can a scholar who talks about nothing have such insight?" Li Xia said as if he was joking: "I have also met several young people who can be said to be the smartest, but I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to reach this level if they hadn't been immersed in officialdom for ten years.
Bar?"
"The commander is laughing, actually..."
Yuan Congzheng wanted to say something more, but someone outside the door announced.
"Handsome."
While talking, Lin Zi walked in.
"Some of the prisoners captured from Huashan are willing to confess. Will the commander interrogate him?"
Li Xia stood up and asked, "How about Heyi go with me?"
"student……"
"Oh, the food and wine are here too, so you can use them here first."
"Yes, then these official duties..."
"Don't be anxious." Li Xia said, "Don't be anxious. We still have a lot of time, and I will give you many opportunities... to show off what you have learned."
"Thank you, Marshal."
Yuan Congzheng stood up, saluted, and watched Li Xia go out.