For the large gentry households, the most important thing is naturally land. With land, there is wealth and status. However, speaking of land, if there are not enough tenants to work hard, it cannot be transformed into wealth and power. And human power is not only wealth.
The source of power is also a guarantee of safety: especially in counties like Yangshan, where Han and Yao are mixed, and where public security is chaotic, the law of the jungle is the norm. Neither individuals nor large households can count on the protection of the legal regime, and must rely on armed forces to protect their own interests.
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As a result, manpower has become the foundation of every large household. The Ouyang family is no exception. For Ouyang Xi, collecting grain and taxation is particularly perfunctory, but this strong man is the lifeblood of his family. No wonder he heard this
When the word "borrowing troops" came up, he quickly declined.
However, this was not the main reason for his refusal. In fact, Ouyang Xi still had doubts about whether the newly emerged "Song Dynasty" could gain a foothold in Yangshan.
Whether it is to suppress bandits or to suppress Yao, Ouyang Xi has the same opinions as those in the county. However, as the leader of a large gentry family in the county, he is well aware of his role as a benchmark. As long as he agrees to "borrow troops", other large families will naturally follow suit.
It will also be regarded as his surrender to the "Great Song Dynasty", and many people will follow the wind and turn to the Australians, just in case the lost territory is recovered after the Great Tomorrow - it is related to the reputation and the future of the family, and he cannot be easily determined!
However, when he refused, he really couldn't speak out, because his family has always had a reputation in Yangshan for being "anxious about justice" - and the current situation in Yangshan County, if he didn't stand up, he really couldn't speak out.
"Now Mr. Yangshan also knows the situation. Although Sun Dabiao, Feng Haijiao and others have been eliminated, the bandits are not at peace, and everyone in the county is in danger. What's more, even though the rebellion caused by Badai Yao has subsided, it is still a hidden danger - Mr.
How can the first household in Yangshan sit idly by and ignore such important matters concerning Sangzi?"
"Non-students just sit back and watch. In fact, the strong men in the student village are all stupid people, and they still have some blood to protect their hometown. If they are asked to go to war, I am afraid it will be just a waste of food and salary..." Ouyang Xi continued to decline.
"The student also served as a county magistrate in Yangshan for several years. At that time, my brother Ouyang Da led the Xiangyong to fight with the bandits several times. He personally served as the target, and he was actually the general of the city of Yangshan. The Xiangyong under his command even sacrificed his life.
If you die and carry your halberd, how can you be a stupid people?" Peng Shou'an did not allow him to dodge and exposed his excuses face to face.
Ouyang Xi looked embarrassed - he had forgotten that the other party was the county magistrate not long ago.
Peng Shou'an solemnly said: "Old sir! My student Yu Daming is a three-year official; in the Senate, he is just an 'advisor' to the imperial court. What does the stability of Yangshan and the well-being of the people have to do with me?"
I have come here to borrow troops to bring peace to the people of Yangshan! I hope you will think twice!"
This vaguely meant to blame Ouyang Xi for only caring about his family and not caring about everyone else. It made him somewhat embarrassed, and indeed made the old man shaken.
The Ouyang family's "public-mindedness and righteousness" towards Yangshan are not hypocritical, otherwise he would not have presided over the renovation of the reading desk, nor would he have organized local warriors to fight for the county many times. Historically, Yangshan County was in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties
Bandit intrusions and Yao people riots occurred one after another. The Ouyang family sent out local warriors to join the battle every time. Ouyang Xi's son Ouyang Da died in a battle in the early Qing Dynasty while resisting bandit siege.
Ouyang Xi pondered for a moment and said in a low voice: "If I don't want to lend troops, it's because the matter is serious. Master Peng! You and I have known each other for many years and we trust each other. Even if you become an Australian official now, I won't see you.
Foreign: It is said that Feng Haijiao and others have been granted titles by the Ming Dynasty. If I openly become his enemy, wouldn’t I go to fight against the officers and soldiers?”
When Peng Shou'an saw that he had spoken out his true feelings, he knew that the matter was easy to handle, so he said: "Sun Dabiao, I think the old man knows who Feng Haijiao is. Such a person can also be an official. It's really like thunder in a clay cauldron!" He saw
Ouyang Xi was still hesitating, so he whispered again, "This time the county magistrate asked me to borrow troops, not send them."
Ouyang Xi was shocked and said, "How can you say this?"
"County Magistrate Piper said that you have always been the number one gentry in Yangshan, and you are also a civil servant. There must be many taboos in cooperating with the county, and there must be many excuses - she doesn't blame you for this."
"Thank you, Mr. Pi, for your understanding!" Ouyang Xi said hurriedly.
"You're welcome." Peng Shouan continued, "Now County Magistrate Piper has said that you are not required to send troops to help in the suppression in the name of Ouyang Jiayong. All you need is fifty strong men from your family - weapons, food, and wages will all be prepared by the county.
, and we don’t want the Ouyang family to take charge of it - is it still possible to be so clear-cut?"
This made it clear that Ouyang Xi felt that if he could not shirk it any more, he would have to drink a toast instead of eating as a penalty.
He glanced at Peng Shou'an and felt a little confused. He didn't believe that a woman could come up with such an idea. It was probably Peng Shou'an's idea. However, Peng had made no achievements in politics in Yangshan, and had another problem while assisting the Australian County Magistrate Wang.
The battle was completely defeated, but the female county magistrate Kun came and made only one move, but the whole game was saved in an instant. Ouyang Xi couldn't help but have some doubts: Could there be some expert in the county giving secret guidance?
However, this method is appropriate. Although his family has a strong man, after all, he is not led by the Ouyang family. There is room for evasion when the Ming Dynasty officials come back. If he does not come back, his family will have made a contribution to the Senate.
"Let me discuss this matter with my son." Ouyang Xi said, "I will give you a reply tomorrow."
"What? He agreed?" Pinda asked.
"Although we missed, we're not far off." Peng Shou'an was quite pleased with himself.
Pinda frowned, and You Ciren said: "Lao Peng, please don't drag the text and talk like a human being!"
"Yes, yes," Peng Shou'an was in a good mood and didn't care. "Master Ouyang said that he would discuss it with his son and reply tomorrow - this is just for caution. The matter has been decided."
"So, he has already agreed?" Pinda said.
"Exactly," Peng Shou'an nodded, "Speaking of which, the county magistrate's idea is better..."
Their original plan was to ask large households from all over the country to organize organized troops to send out local warriors to assist in the battle. This would save money, and secondly, the combat effectiveness of the local warriors was largely based on "knowledge between superiors and subordinates."
However, Peng Shou'an visited several large households. Although each of them was very polite and it was easy to talk about "reasonable burden", when it came to borrowing Xiang Yong, they all hesitated. After hitting a snag, Peng Da asked Peng Shou'an to change his mind:
Just a strong man, not a name.
"These rich people are just afraid that we are not 'orthodox'. They are afraid that one day the officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty will come back and others will make a fuss about them and say that they are 'attached to thieves'. In this case, we will calm their hearts...
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"In this case, wouldn't we be weaker in terms of momentum..." You Ciren had some doubts.
"The Ming Dynasty has ruled in Yangshan for nearly three hundred years, and orthodox ideas are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. We are new here. The big families have never seen us defeat the Ming army with their own eyes, so it is normal to have doubts." Pinda said, "We are going to do it now.
They came forward and showed their banners to help us, but of course they refused."
So the plan was adjusted to what it is now: as long as each family produces strong men, there is no need for them to form an organization to recruit troops.
"...Actually, this is fine. The rural warriors they have recruited from the establishment are all led by their own people. Their combat effectiveness may not be bad, but we can't get involved." You Ciren said, "We will wait until they are here.
Anyone who is paid here and educated for a year and a half is ours. Even if it is a top gentry like Ouyang Xi, if he gives us his fifty strong men, he will no longer belong to his family in the future."
So the "Zheng Fa Xiang Yong" became the "Zheng Ding". For the big families, this nominal change made them relieved, especially Ouyang Xi's family was the first to agree to the "Zheng Ding", and even more
It set an example. Soon, Peng Shou'an recruited 400 men from the dozen "reputable" gentry and large clan households listed in advance. The collection rate of reasonable burdens also increased, and soon
It achieved more than 65%. The county government of Yangshan County in the Song Dynasty, which was originally short of soldiers and food and was dying, miraculously recovered.
Someone in Panda had food in hand, so he immediately reorganized his team. He eliminated some of the old and weak among the strong men recruited, and selected more than 260 people, including 100 Yao Ding from Yonghua and the original national army.
After mixed organization, five squadrons were finally organized. Each squadron was organized into a rifle squad, and the rest of the soldiers all used long guns and swords. They also dug out all the armors in stock in the county treasury and selected more than ten pairs of usable iron armors.
They also distributed cotton cloth from the county treasury to women, beaten it firmly, and wadding it into cotton armor. Each squadron was organized into a fully armored squad.
After eliminating the old and weak, You Ciren also organized them into a reserve squadron for county defense.
Most of the young men recruited from powerful families had served as village warriors for many years. Although they had not received much formal training, they had some experience in fighting and were quite powerful. After reorganizing the equipment, the military power became great for a while.
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Pinda officially appointed Luo Yiming as the mayor of Dalangwei and arranged for two full squadrons to be stationed. Their main tasks are to protect Dawangwei and monitor Yonghua Yao District. Once something happens in Yonghua Yao District or nearby areas,
Luo Yiming has his own mobile troops that he can handle at any time without waiting for the county to allocate troops to him. It is equivalent to having one more attack position.
Other squadrons took turns escorting Peng Shou'an out to "visit guests" and levied reasonable burdens from village to village; squadrons that did not have the task of "visiting guests" either guarded the county or patrolled various roads in the county to collect loose bandits.
You Ciren is in the middle of the dispatch, coordinating the patrol and settlement work of each squadron, ensuring that National Army squadrons patrol the roads every day, focusing on ensuring the safety of transportation nodes and important market towns in the county. Due to the current abundance of troops, in addition to the reserve squadron, he has
There are 1 to 2 squadrons on standby in the county at all times, ready to set off at any time.
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Next update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Chapter 458