In any case, Zhang Yangquan is still satisfied that the people from Chaohu Water Village were successfully brought back.
Although Zhu Yuanzhang is growing stronger step by step, his current position is not good and he no longer poses a threat to Jiqing, so don't worry too much.
What needs to be considered now is the ceremony in three days.
Jiangdu Army's current territory is not large, so Zhang Yangquan does not plan to establish a hundred lawsuits. Whatever yamen are needed in the future can be established separately.
After a conversation with Qin Lingjun a few days ago, he has decided to leave the trivial official duties to his subordinates.
In this way, the choice of the prime minister is very important.
Guo Niansheng is appointed as the left prime minister. There is nothing to consider. The key is the candidate for the right prime minister.
Luo Guanzhong was too young, Ma Yulin was too arrogant, and Sun Hong was too tactful. Liu Bowen was designated as the imperial censor, so it was not easy for him to hold two positions.
For a while, he couldn't think of a good candidate, so he came to the military camp in the north of the city and asked Qin Lingjun for his opinion.
It's early afternoon, it's June, and the sun is scorching.
Qin Lingjun had just completed the morning's military training and was covered in sweat. When he saw Zhang Yangquan coming over, he hurriedly said: "Wait for me for a while."
Leaving Zhang Yangquan in the handsome tent, she ran to a small tent next door dedicated to her, fetched some water, wiped her body, changed into regular clothes, and then returned to the handsome tent.
"My husband, do you want to ask about the candidate for the right prime minister?"
Zhang Yangquan nodded and said: "Yes, Zuo Xiangguo can let Uncle Guo serve, but Right Xiangguo can't think of a suitable candidate!"
Qin Lingjun thought for a while and said, "How about Uncle Chen?"
When Zhang Yangquan was about to speak, she shook her head and rejected it.
"It will make the officials below feel unfair if the left and right prime ministers are appointed to people from Shanzhai. It is better to leave a position for scholars from the recruitment hall. In this way, more scholars will come to serve in the future!"
Zhang Yangquan was very pleased to see her understanding the general situation so well, and asked: "Then who do you think is better?"
Qin Lingjun thought for a while and said: "This person must not only be capable, but also must be mature, prudent, morally upright, and loved by the people!"
Zhang Yangquan touched his chin and said: "Then let's go on patrol incognito again, and take this opportunity to understand the reputation of officials among the people!"
Qin Lingjun said happily: "This is the best."
Because more and more people have seen the two of them, they both disguised themselves during this tour. Unless they were close, it would be difficult to recognize them.
To understand the opinions of the people, you naturally need to find a place with a lot of people, and a place that can arouse the other party to talk about sex.
Yangzhou Restaurant is the first restaurant in Jiangdu City. The dishes are novel and delicious. Many people come here to eat. People also like to discuss things when eating and drinking.
So the two decided to go to Yangzhou Restaurant as their first stop.
When we arrived at the restaurant, it was just mid-noon. There were many people in the restaurant, and more than half of the seats were filled with dining guests.
The two of them ordered four side dishes and a bottle of wine. While eating and drinking, they listened to the discussions among the people around them.
The people of Jiangdu are very up to date with current affairs, and they are talking about the latest major events. The hottest topic among them is naturally the king-conferring ceremony in three days.
Most of what everyone is talking about is the King's Platform being built in the north of the city. At this time, the King's Platform has been built, and several altars have been built around it to pray to the gods of heaven and earth.
Although Zhang Yangquan didn't like this, most people in this period believed in gods, and it seemed that if they didn't tell heaven and earth, disaster would be imminent.
He had no choice but to follow the good path.
In addition, there are also many people discussing Liu Bowen’s verdict, and they all praise each other and are full of praise!
The new rice cultivation has almost been completed, but no one can be heard talking about it. Obviously, this kind of thing is not worth talking about at the dinner table for the common people.
This is a good thing. The less attention a new rice species receives, the less likely it is to be exposed.
For example, potatoes and sweet potatoes have been planted in large quantities in Jiangducheng, but if they are not ordered to force planting, the spread to the surrounding areas will be extremely slow.
This situation is a good thing for Zhang Yangquan.
As long as the rice and grain seeds are not exposed, it will always be Jiangdu Army's greatest advantage.
In addition, the land in Jiangdu is fertile and there are many households. Even if there is a good harvest, other rebel armies will not think much about it. As long as it lasts three or four years, the Jiangdu army will accumulate a large amount of food!
While he was thinking, Qin Lingjun suddenly pulled his sleeve and glanced in a certain direction.
Zhang Yangquan followed her gaze and found two middle-aged scribes in robes discussing something on a table diagonally to the side.
One of them, with a square scarf tied on his head and a beardless face, about forty years old, said: "Everyone says that Jiangdu's cuisine is unique, and today's dish is truly worthy of its reputation!"
Another person was wearing a high crown, with a calm face, and said with a smile: "How about just delicious food?"
The square scarf scribe said calmly: "The mountains are good, the water is good, the people are good, the food is good, there is only one bad thing!"
Scholar Gao Guan smiled and asked: "What's wrong?"
The scribe with a square scarf said: "The officials are not good!"
Scholar Gao Guan smiled and said, "Brother Lu, is he still worried about the misunderstanding a few days ago?"
The square scarf scribe's face sank, and he said: "I am not as well-educated as Brother Lu. Such a grand gathering was destroyed by a group of city defenses. It was like burning harps and boiling cranes, which really ruined the scenery!"
The two people's voices were not loud, and the restaurant was noisy, so Zhang Yangquan could hear it intermittently. Fortunately, Qin Lingjun had sharp ears and eyes, so she repeated it to him after listening.
When Zhang Yangquan saw them mentioning city defense, he was secretly curious and listened more carefully.
The high-ranking scribe shook his head and said with a smile: "The city defense commander is a military general. How can we expect him to understand the significance of the cultural meeting?"
The scribe with a scarf said: "Leaving aside the generals, what about the civil servants in the general administration? Some are corrupt and pervert the law, some are uneducated and incompetent, some are low-class dramatists, and there are even hypocrites who are inconsistent with their appearance!"
Zhang Yangquan's face changed slightly. This person actually reduced his officials to nothing. Is he really talented, or is he just talking nonsense?
"Husband, don't pay attention. There are many people who think they are great and are looked down upon by everyone. There is no need to take their words to heart!" Qin Lingjun said with a cold face.
Zhang Yangquan nodded.
At this moment, a man in black with thick eyebrows and big eyes came to the two scribes, cupped his hands and said to them: "Mr. Lu, Mr. Lu, we meet again!"
The scribe with a square scarf rolled his eyelids and said: "General Sheng, you are really haunting. How many times have we rejected you, and yet you actually pursued us all the way to Jiangdu?"
Zhang Yangquan and Qin Lingjun were both startled. Hearing the name of the scarf scribe, the man in black seemed to be a general of the rebel army, and he had been recruiting two people.
From this point of view, these two scribes do not seem to be ordinary people.
So the two continued to listen to their conversation.
General Sheng had a good temper and was not angry at being so crowded. He said with a smile: "Mr. Lu, you misunderstood. I came here this time to celebrate Mr. Zhang becoming the king, not to rush you two!"
The scarf scribe said politely: "In that case, please do as you please!"
General Sheng blinked and said, "Now that we have met, I can't let go of this opportunity, can I?"
He bowed his hands to the two men again and said: "Two gentlemen, our Liu Shuai really values you very much. As long as you agree to serve as officials, the position of deputy military advisor of our army will be shared by two of you!"
Zhang Yangquan's heart moved and he whispered: "Madam, this person should be Liu Futong's subordinate. He is probably the third most powerful person in the Northern Army, Sheng Wenyu!"
Qin Lingjun frowned and said, "He values these two people so much. Could it be that these two people really have extraordinary abilities?"
At this time, the scholar Gao Guan raised his hands and said: "Please tell Marshal Liu that we are very grateful for his attention, but we are lazy by nature and do not want to be restrained. Please ask him to choose another talented person!"
Sheng Wenyu sighed and said: "Mr. Lu, you don't have to prevaricate me. If you really don't want to be an official, why did you leave Songjiang Mansion and come to Jiangdu?"
The scarf scribe said impatiently: "General Sheng, we and I are free to travel wherever we want. You don't seem to have any control over it, do you?"
Sheng Wenyu was silent for a while and said: "From what I heard from the two people just now, it is obvious that they are not satisfied with Jiangdu officials. In that case, why not come to Anfeng?"
The scarf scribe sneered: "Jiangdu Army officials are indeed not very good, but they are still much better than your Northern Army!"
Zhang Yangquan and Qin Lingjun felt a lot better when they heard that he was even more mean to Liu Futongjun, and couldn't help but smile at each other.
Sheng Wenyu was still not angry, and said with a wry smile: "I would like to ask Mr. Lu for advice, so that I can understand where my army is lacking!"
The scarf scribe stared at him for a while and said: "General Sheng, since the uprising, the Jiangdu Army has divided the fields and taught farmers and mulberry trees, so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment. What have you done?" Sheng Wenyu frowned and said: "Our Red Scarf Army was the first to divide the fields, Jiangdu Army just followed suit!"
The scarf scribe said calmly: "But they did allocate the fields to the people! You just shouted slogans, but in the end the fields still fell into the hands of the wealthy gentry!"
Sheng Wenyu said in a deep voice: "Yes, we are indeed inferior to Jiang Dujun in this regard, so I hope that you two can come out and help us straighten out our civil affairs!"
The scarf scribe shook his head and said: "Your Anfeng army only emphasizes military equipment and despises civil affairs. Only when there is a shortage of food, you think of finding a few literati to solve the problem. This idea is deeply rooted in your army. What's the use of us going there?"
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Sheng Wenyu was silent for a while and said: "In a short time, our army will establish a country and proclaim itself emperor. When the time comes to establish a hundred lawsuits, we will definitely shift our focus to civil affairs!"
The scarf scribe waved his hand and said: "It's useless for you to say this now. One day we hear that your army really did this, and maybe we will go to Anfeng to have a look!"
Sheng Wenyu took a deep breath, cupped his hands and said, "That being the case, I won't bother you anymore, but I would like to ask one more question, will you two serve as officials when you come to Jiangdu this time?"
Gaoguan Scholar said calmly: "The two of us are here to accompany Taoist Master Wu Yong to visit Abbot Faming of Daming Temple, not to serve as officials."