Chapter 165 It’s getting cold, put on more clothes (6k)

Song Jiang lost his temper during the march, and life suddenly became difficult for Wen Huanzhang, who stayed in Qinzhou to help.

When the army was stationed in Qinzhou, Zhu Wu, Xiao Rang, Pei Xuan, Jiang Jing, Le He and others under his command, as well as the clerks, recorders and other military students of the original camps, were arranged to take over the various government offices in the state.

Now that the building is empty, Wen Huanzhang has become a lonely man. All the work has been piled up on him, just like a manager of a large hotel, who has to take on the duties of purchasing, kitchen, finance, front desk, etc.

Among the 5,000 soldiers stationed in Qinzhou, only a handful could read and write, and it was basically impossible to find any helpers, while Yang Chang's men were only responsible for security.

If he doesn't feel tired taking on so much, who will?

Among the helpers around Yang Chang, except Sun An who is barely proficient in both civil and military affairs, the rest are just simple warriors. They have no problem managing the army and maintaining public order, but they are not good at handling complicated government affairs.

The officialdom is different from the underworld, and the fight is not about fists.

On the third day after Lin Chong returned to Qinzhou, Wen Huanzhang went to Yang Chang to complain with a tired face. He thought that he would be exhausted to death if he continued working.

Yang Chang looked at Wen Huanzhang's face, which looked like a confinement nanny who had been tortured by a fussing baby. He had lost all the energy he had a few days ago, so he couldn't bear to serve him tea himself.

"Sir, you are really too busy. You can just put down your work and take a rest. When the officials arrive one after another, they will know how to continue. Why do you have to work so hard? Besides, are you really that busy? Qinzhou has just been pacified, and it is winter and the farming season is off. Apart from dealing with the aftermath of the war, you really can't think of anything else to do."

"The chief steward has no experience in governing. As the saying goes, a small sparrow has all the organs. This is the affairs of an entire state. Although the six officials have not taken office, government affairs will not disappear out of thin air, especially the household registration, money and grain, and the treasury. There are also many important tasks such as measuring land, repairing roads, dredging rivers, etc."

Before Wen Huanzhang finished speaking, Yang Chang was already getting impatient.

During his time as an archer in Yanggu, he also gained some understanding of some of the duties. Generally, foreign officials hired local people as clerks to assist in dealing with the people, and the workload was both tedious and time-consuming.

Thinking of this, Yang Chang interrupted and gave a suggestion:

"It's time-consuming and laborious to count the household registration and land. We don't have enough manpower, so let's put it aside for now. Secondly, why do we need to count the money and grain and the treasury? Qinzhou has just been recaptured from the bandits, and everything can only be considered as starting from scratch. Most of the original money and grain was taken by Song Xianfeng, and the rest was left to settle the people and provide military supplies for the 5,000 soldiers. It will not be handed over to the new officials."

“Oh, so that’s how it is.”

Wen Huanzhang swallowed and thought to himself, so this is what you were planning.

I thought you were different, but it seems that because you don't have power, your true greed is revealed now?
But you are also right. The court has not sent a new governor yet, so you are on your own here.

Who can do anything about the seizure of the remaining money and grain?
If you don't seek benefits for the people below you, you can't be so loved.

Wen Huanzhang smiled bitterly, still bowed and reminded: "You don't need to count the money and grain and the treasury, but the household registration and land measurement must be done in advance. Qinzhou has changed hands back and forth in the past few years, and there must be many conflicts involving the fields. There are still two months before spring plowing. If we wait for the county officials to take office, we may miss the next season's production. And Yang Zongguan is now in charge of state affairs. It is definitely not appropriate for him to do nothing. It will also be troublesome for you to shirk responsibility when the time comes."

"Um"

Seeing Yang Chang frowning and pondering, Wen Huanzhang thought to himself, you withheld all the money and grain. If I were the new prefect, I would be angry with you. Isn't it natural for you to shirk responsibility?

After all, one becomes an official thousands of miles away to make money, and most of Qinzhou's jurisdiction is mountainous, and its products are the worst among Tian Hu's several states.

When the new official sees that the treasury is empty, he will have to exploit the people to make up for it? And then you will bring the army to suppress the rebellion? Thinking about it this way, it seems reasonable, but it will make the people of this state suffer.
Wen Huanzhang was sighing inwardly when Yang Chang suddenly slapped his thigh, thinking of a good way in the future. His brows relaxed and he said confidently:

"I will send the army to handle this matter. No matter how much land the people had before, it will be divided equally among each family. I can't say that it will be absolutely fair, but at least it will be relatively fair. This will also include the household registration."

"Equal distribution per person?"

Wen Huanzhang was shocked when he heard this and waved his hand hastily to persuade him: "No! This will cause chaos."

"Why?"

"Of course the landless tenants would agree, but how could the landowners agree?"

"Haha." Yang Chang smiled leisurely and asked mysteriously, "Mr. Wen, where do these landowners get their land from?"

"Heirloom from ancestors, or traded?"

"Private individuals can buy and sell state-owned land? Moreover, they are buying and selling it under the rule of the traitor Tian Hu. Do you think this is reasonable and legal?"

"This"

Wen Huanzhang was speechless. He didn't expect that although he was well-read, he was still stumped by a warrior. He felt that he had underestimated him.

After a moment's silence, he put forward another point of view to refute: "If the sale of land was indeed illegal during the period of Tian Hu's rebellion, what about the inheritance from our ancestors? We can't just generalize and forcibly take back and divide up the land, right?"

"Why not?"

Yang Chang spread his hands and said firmly: "This land has been around for more than a thousand years. If someone has been here since the beginning of time, I might reluctantly recognize them. If they have only been here for thirty to fifty years, then they are unlucky. I said that it is relatively fair. As long as there are people, they will get land. If they are diligent, they will not starve to death."

“You’re being too radical.”

Wen Huanzhang was so shocked that he choked and warned him earnestly: "This move will inevitably lead to resistance from the big families, which will seriously affect the governance in the future. You should know that when officials go to the local areas to select officials, they basically select people from the big families in the counties and towns, so that it is convenient to implement the decrees in the future. If Yang Zongguan offends all the local big families, then..."

"So what?"

Yang Chang drew his sword while speaking, as if to say, "I have a weapon in my hand, can the local big clan eat me?"
Wen Huanzhang understood what he meant and couldn't help but shake his head and sigh: "You should just take care of the troops and horses in the future, why leave trouble for this? It's not worth it."

"Didn't you say that we need to survey the land and check the household registration? I am helping the prefects and county magistrates to do the work in advance. As for the worry that there are no sons of the rich families to do the work, can't we find ordinary sons to do the work? Just ask, are there more ordinary people or rich families? Qinzhou is the main base of Tian Hu, and they still dare to show off their power by relying on their rich families. What else are they but the remnants of Tian Hu? Do they think that too few were killed in Tongdi that day?"

Yang Chang spoke righteously. Wen Huanzhang thought to himself that since you have soldiers in your hands, no one would dare to oppose whatever you say. However, whether in the civil society or the officialdom, there is a set of established rules, and breaking them by force may not necessarily be a good thing.

You will offend too many people in the future, and you will be targeted and suppressed. Fortunately, Qinzhou has not yet formed any force, and the only force is you, General Manager Yang.

"Uh"

"Since ancient times, great chaos has been followed by great order. I want to give the majority of ordinary people some hope. Even if it doesn't last too long, it can be regarded as a little comfort to the people after the war. I also come from a poor family."

Although it was the coldest time of the year, Yang Chang's words were like a spring breeze, and Wen Huanzhang was deeply moved.

He had heard rumors about the Bright Heavenly Lord, but he didn't expect that he was such a compassionate person.

If Yang Chang was in charge of government affairs, apart from the stain of "greed for money" mentioned earlier, he should be a good official serving the people.

Wen Huanzhang nodded in affirmation, and then kindly reminded: "General Manager Yang cares about the people, which makes me admire him very much, but Qinzhou will return to normal sooner or later. There is one thing I must remind you, if the land is divided equally according to the number of people, it may not be all a good thing."

"What do you mean?"

"According to the laws of the Song Dynasty, households are divided into different levels to pay taxes and perform corvée labor. You force the tenants to allocate land, and they will automatically abandon their land in the event of natural disasters, man-made disasters, or corvée labor. You must respect and allow the existence of your clients, and as time goes by, your clients will inevitably exist."

(In the Song Dynasty, households in the city were divided into ten categories and households in the countryside were divided into five categories according to their income and the amount of land. The propertyless people were called clients, or tenants, tenants, land tenants, fire tenants, fire tenants, small tenants, and side households. Since the high-class households were subject to high taxes and heavy corvee labor, many people would voluntarily give up property accumulation in order to control their family's total assets. If they had any extra money, they would quickly spend it to stay in the middle category. However, even if they lived so cautiously, they would abandon their fields due to natural disasters, man-made disasters, and corvee labor, thus becoming propertyless tenants.)
(The corvée system in the Song Dynasty was special. In addition to free garrison, engineering, and transportation work for the country, any losses caused during service would be borne and compensated by the person who made the mistake. For example, Yang Zhi was doing corvée for escorting birthdays, so he had to sell all his property to make up for his work mistakes.)
Yang Chang had lived in the countryside with Yang De, and he knew that Wen Huanzhang's reminder was an objective fact. Although he was now temporarily in charge of Qinzhou's government affairs, he was powerless to change the designated system unless he proclaimed himself king and made his own rules.

Thinking of this, Yang Chang frowned and murmured to himself: "Let's talk about the future later. First, distribute the land so that the people can have a harvest. If they abandon the land because of laziness, such people do not deserve sympathy."

"What about natural disasters, man-made disasters, and corvée labor? Whether it's building roads and bridges, dredging rivers, etc., it all takes up manpower and food."

"It doesn't matter."

When Wen Huanzhang mentioned the key point, Yang Chang waved his hand and smiled: "At least in the short term, there will be no problem. The money and grain in Tian Hu's treasury will not be used in vain by my brothers. If there is no military mission, they will help build roads and bridges, etc., and try not to occupy the people to do these things."

"hiss"

Wen Huanzhang was shocked, and his opinion of Yang Chang changed again. He thought, "Is this where you used the money? I am still superficial in my view of the problem."

"If that's the case, then I'll have it much easier. I'll just have to deal with criminal cases at most."

"hehe."

Yang Chang nodded and said with a smile: "There is not much to do in the first place. You set too high a standard for yourself. However, Qinzhou is short of prosecutors now. I would like to trouble you to inspect the counties regularly and handle the crowded cases in a unified manner. It should not be too tiring."

"Okay, okay, I was wrong before. Manager Yang is a man of both civil and military talents. He is a man of both civil and military talents."

Under Wen Huanzhang's flattery, the two spent two hours in the provincial capital to draft the regulations.

Yang Chang then called on Zhu Tong and Ye Qing to work together to start a pilot project of land distribution and household registration around Tongdi, and then expanded it to Wuxiang, Qinyuan and Mianshang counties.

If anyone really dares to jump out and cause trouble, it would not be unfair to treat them as the remnants of Tian Hu.

After a busy day, he returned home. Hu Sanniang and Qiu Qiongying, one fetched water for him to wash his feet, while the other massaged his shoulders and back to relieve his fatigue, as if they had ordered two technicians at a foot massage parlor.

That picture is very harmonious.

"Yes, that's right. I'm struggling. Madam, you're quite strong. It seems you've been practicing your finger strength recently. Did you go to see Master Lin during the day?"

"Master Lin is busy training the troops, so I'll just throw stones myself. I'd better teach others when you have time."

"Haha, I'm afraid I can't teach him well. After all, he is the instructor of the 800,000 imperial guards. I am also in charge of Qinzhou's government affairs. I guess I will be busy for a while. It will be easy when officials at all levels take office. If you don't want to trouble Instructor Lin for guidance, you can practice with the lady at ordinary times."

"My martial arts skills are not as good as my sister's, but I can encourage her to practice."

Hu Sanniang, who is older, is called Madam Yang, Qiu Qiongying, who is younger, is called Madam Yang, and Yang Chang also follows outsiders in calling them that. The three of them are now in the 'honeymoon period' of their relationship, and their relationship is as good as wearing the same pair of pants.

Yang Chang has two tiger wives, both of whom are beauties who prefer weapons to makeup. They can practice martial arts together on weekdays, so it is estimated that it is difficult for them to have continuous conflicts, and they can vent their grievances directly.

This guy thought that he had the skills to control his wife, so he deliberately kicked his feet forward to splash water, which splashed onto Hu Sanniang's pretty face, making her look particularly attractive under the light.

"How did you kick me? Did I hit you too hard?"

"Uh no."

Yang Chang originally wanted to tease Hu Sanniang, but was interrupted by Qiu Qiongying's concerned face. His evil thoughts disappeared instantly. He smiled and shook his head to evade the question: "My feet were a little itchy just now."

"Ok?"

Hu Sanniang raised the back of her hand to wipe her face. She and Yang Chang had been married for many years and had a tacit understanding. She knew that this guy was trying to do something bad again. She thought to herself, your enemy's sister is still behind you.

In order to prevent this guy from having wild thoughts, Hu Sanniang changed the subject and expressed her feelings.

"Master Lin and Master Lu are willing to stay. If you had tried harder at that time, the Ruan brothers, Xiao Rang and other leaders who followed us on the western front might also be willing to stay in Qinzhou, and you wouldn't have to be so busy."

"Haha, how can it be that simple?" Yang Chang shook his head and smiled bitterly, and said: "The court only gave my husband an official title. Instructor Lin and Master Lu stayed behind privately because they had no more desires. The others still wanted to fight for fame and fortune. Besides, Song Jiang would definitely not agree, especially not to let the three Ruan brothers go."

"But why?"

"They are going to conquer Wang Qing this time. The area occupied by this beast is full of waterways. The naval leaders who have not made any achievements before will be of great use in the subsequent battles. How could Song Jiang leave them to me?"

"That's right," Hu Sanniang nodded in agreement, and then asked again in confusion: "But they are good friends of King Chao, and Song Jiang doesn't seem to value them, so why do they work hard for Song Jiang?"

"Rather than working for Song Jiang, it's better to say that you are fighting for the future of the Ruan family. Madam, you have never been to Shijie Village. The Ruan family is a big family there. They need to seek an official position to protect their family members."

After listening to Yang Chang's explanation, Hu Sanniang seemed to understand something.

When the man mentioned Shijie Village, she thought of Yang De's family, so she reminded him, "Sir, my uncle's family is still in Shijie Village. The Ruan brothers want to protect their people, and now that you are the deputy general manager of the army, shouldn't you bring them here?"

"Yes, yes." Qiu Qiongying also stopped kneading and said, "And my sister's family, I heard they are in Yan'an Prefecture, they should also be brought to Qinzhou."

"Of course, no problem, but wait a few months until you are on your feet and have things sorted out."

"Uh-huh."

Yang Changxin thought it would be good for them to stay together. If they really couldn't stop the Jin army in the future, they could all move to another place.

At this time, he had no idea of ​​resisting the Jin Dynasty or rebelling to establish his own regime, but he did not know that fate had already arranged the characters and the script.

From the moment he beheaded Wanyan Jiemu, Yang Chang had a direct cause and effect relationship with the Jin people. Although he had no intention of rebelling and proclaiming himself king, his opponents were helping to pave the way.

At the end of the year, Tokyo Bianliang.

In the study of the Grand Tutor's Mansion, Cai Jing received a guest.

That was Yang Chang's old friend, Fang Shen, the former magistrate of Yanggu. It was he who promoted Wu Song to be the head of the police station.

"In which year did Judge Fang pass the imperial examination?"

"I passed the imperial examination in the second year of Chongning."

"Oh?"

Cai Jing picked up the tea bowl and leaned back in his chair, muttering to himself: "This year sounds familiar to me. At that time."

"The Grand Master had just been promoted to Zuo Pushe."

Fang Shen stood very respectfully, afraid of offending the old man in front of him.

"Haha, then what position were you assigned to? Perhaps it was approved by me?"

Seeing that Cai Jing seemed to be trying to win him over, Fang Shen immediately changed his address and followed up with a bow: "I am ashamed. I ranked low in the imperial examination and was only the chief clerk of Wuyang."

"Your starting point is a bit low, but you have only been an official for ten years and have risen from a county clerk to a magistrate. You are quite capable."

"Shame on you, shame on you"

"Why be so modest? It seems that your term of office has not yet been completed. Are you returning to Beijing on official business?"

When Cai Jing delivered his message here, his hint was already quite obvious. Not responding would mean that one had no understanding.

The principle of Fang Shen to become an official has always been to open the way with money, but when his network of contacts reached a certain level, it was impossible to climb up further, and he needed a bigger backer. After hitting a wall for a while, he planned to leave Beijing, but was summoned to his house by Cai Jing.

If you are an honest official, you will end up being a county magistrate.

Seize the opportunity and change your destiny.

After hearing this, the fellow bowed his head resolutely and answered honestly: "Although my term of office has not yet ended, there is only about half a year left. I heard that the counties in Hebei have been recaptured by the government troops, so I came to Beijing to pay New Year's greetings and try my luck."

"How's your luck?"

Cai Jing blew away the foam and took a sip, then looked at the man crawling on the ground with satisfaction, thinking that this guy had a good understanding of being an official and could be used by him.

"The students are at a loss as to what to do and are preparing to leave Beijing."

"Xiao Fang, since you and I are destined to be together, would you mind if I could take you in?"

"Thank you very much, my teacher, for your guidance. I would never be able to repay you even if I die." Happiness came too suddenly, and Fang Shen fell to the ground with his head pounding garlic.

"Get up and talk."

Cai Jing put down his tea bowl, motioned Fang Shen to sit down, and stroked his beard and said slowly: "Except for Qinzhou, all the positions in Hebei Province have been basically filled. With your current qualifications, you can barely govern Qinzhou. This place used to be Tian Hu's old nest. Now it is a place where you can use your talents. It is currently under the jurisdiction of Xiuwulang Yang Chang. Do you remember this person?"

"Some impression."

"When you were in charge of Yanggu, this man worked as an archer there."

“The students remembered.”

Seeing Fang Shen nod in agreement, Cai Jing reminded him with half-eye contact.

"This fellow was born a bandit, wild and unruly, and now he is staying in Qinzhou to monopolize military and political power. It is hard to guarantee that he will not become the second Tian Hu. I don't like him from the bottom of my heart. You must do your best to restrain him after you take office. Do you have confidence?"

"Teacher, rest assured, I will do my best."

Cai Jing said a long string of words, but the core was the three words "I don't like", and Fang Shen immediately understood his meaning.

It's nothing but political infighting. Yang Chang was originally just a small archer. Wouldn't it be easy for me to catch him?
Afterwards, the butler Zhai Qian saw him out of the house. Fang Shen pulled him aside for some pleasantries and said that he came in a hurry today and that a cart of New Year's goods would be delivered to his house tomorrow.

Seeing that Fang Shen was sensible and polite, Zhai Qian returned to his study and praised him to Cai Jing.

After hearing this, Cai Jing pondered for a moment, frowned and reminded Zhai Qian: "Fang Shen is a smooth person, he may not be able to handle this matter well. He will have to be urged after he takes office, and we must also be more prepared."

Seeing Zhai Qian bowing his hands and waiting for the next words, Cai Jing's old eyes flashed a hint of coldness, and continued: "It is said that the emperor thinks highly of Yang Chang. How can I watch him gain power? Using the official position to trap this guy in Qinzhou is to prepare for the next step. We must find a way to force him to rebel."

"This..." Zhai Qian swallowed his saliva and asked with empty eyes: "Since you are highly regarded by the government, it may be difficult to force you, right?"

"It would be the best if they really have rebellious intentions, but if not, you can't spread rumors and frame them. Think about how Emperor Taizu seized the throne. It's cold right now, how about helping Chief Yang put on some more clothes?"

"Don't worry about it, I will arrange for someone to sneak into Qinzhou, but I don't know if I can gain their trust."

"It is not necessary to gain the trust of Commander Yang. I heard that Song Jiang left him a few brothers. We can also start from them. As long as Fang Shen can be a little more careful, these gangsters will definitely fall into the trap. The worst plan is to forge a dragon robe and jade seal to frame them."

Cai Jing opened the window to get some fresh air. Zhai Qian followed him and reminded him quietly, "It is said that Yang Chang is brave enough to be defeated by ten thousand men. If you want to frame him, you must make preparations in advance."

"Qinzhou only has 5,000 soldiers, and most of them are surrendered soldiers of Tian Hu. Their fighting power cannot be compared with Liangshan's soldiers. But your worry is also reasonable. I don't know when Yanjing can be conquered. Tong Guan has hundreds of thousands of imperial guards in his hands, and he can crush him to pieces when he returns!"

"I have an idea."

"Huh? Tell me."

"Song Jiang was able to wipe out Tian Hu in five months, so he might be able to capture Wang Qing soon. Why not let him and Yang Chang fight each other?"

As soon as Zhai Qian finished speaking, Cai Jing looked at him in surprise.

After a brief moment, the old master suddenly raised his head and laughed, praising: "Great, your idea is very good. I originally wanted Song Jiang to defeat Wang Qing before defeating Fang La. If they kill each other again, I think the old hatred will be more relieved. You should hurry up and do it, and the time limit is until Liangshan finishes annihilating Huaixi."

"Yes."

After Zhai Qian received the task, he took the opportunity to ask Cai Jing for a small official position.

That was a private job he had taken on his own, and now he arranged to go to Qinzhou in advance under the pretext of doing business.

Given Cai Jing's status, he should not have interfered in positions below the state level, but thinking that he would be served, he decided to make an exception.

During the Chinese New Year holiday, all vacant positions in Hebei were finalized.

After the New Year, the Ministry of Personnel carried out the process of batch appointments, and these new officials who had spent a lot of money to be promoted rushed to their new posts to take up their new posts (to make money).

At the end of the first month of the fifth year of Xuanhe, Fang Shen arrived in Tongdi with his official certificate to take up his post.

In addition to his steward, family members, and servants, he was also accompanied by Yang Yuhou from Su Yuanjing Mansion and an official from the Ministry of Personnel.

Yang Chang and Wu Song were very surprised to see Fang Shen. Thinking that he was the "old leader" of Yanggu County, they knew that his work would be smooth in the future, so they toasted him enthusiastically at the welcoming banquet.

The next day, after Wen Huanzhang handed over his work to Fang Shen, he followed Yang Yuhou and Hou Langzhong back to the capital.

The Qinzhou government office has gone through war and now looks rather dilapidated.

Sitting in the simple yamen, Fang Shen was not lonely or unhappy, but had a smile on his face.

The government office is in a dilapidated state, a very dilapidated state.

When Fang Shen was in the capital, Zhai Qian told him a secret that Su Yuanjing had left half of the property seized from the thieves in the Tongdi Treasury to deal with the aftermath.

If one wants to put the government's money into his own pocket, he has to come up with a pretext.

The Qinzhou government office was dilapidated and needed to be repaired for the sake of the prefecture's reputation. Wasn't this an opportunity to make money?
As soon as Fang Shen sent Wen Huanzhang away, Manager Li was ordered to go to the treasury to take inventory.

In less than half an hour, Manager Li rushed into the lobby of the provincial government as if he had lost his parents, gasping for breath with his hands on his thighs.

"It's gone, Enfu, it's gone."

"Asshole, bad luck! I'm fine!"

(End of this chapter)