The ten-year-old leaned against the bluestone and stared blankly in the direction of the county capital. His eyes gradually became desolate. At this moment, a youth walked out of the forest and smiled at them.""Why are the generals angry?"
When the county soldiers saw a stranger appear, they immediately raised their spears and surrounded him. The chief shouted,"Who are you? Why did you enter Xuantu Prefecture?"
The youth raised his hand to signal the county soldiers to stop and took out an iron plate from his bosom. The captain had been told that the person holding the iron plate was the person who was responsible for the investigation of information in the prefecture, and his status was higher than that of ordinary team leaders, so he immediately bowed.
The young man put away the metal plate and smiled.”
The few of them shook their heads and smiled bitterly at the same time. " It's fine," the young man continued." Even if Commandant Wei knew, he wouldn't blame you. After all, you didn't do anything wrong." When we return, I will report to Governor Liu about the corresponding rewards he will give you. There will be news in three to five days. Remember to continue to faithfully execute military orders in the future!”
After saying that, the young man patted the dust off his body and went back into the forest.
The commandant was once again stunned on the spot, and the rest of the soldiers were also dumbfounded and did not know what to do…As expected, three days later, a commendation order was sent. In addition to commending those who were loyal to their duty, there was an additional reward of 200 coins for each person.
Wei Hong led Gongsun Du's group along the official road to Xuantu County City.
Along the way, Wei Hong kept introducing the scenery to Gongsun Du. Snow and mist, green pines and cypresses, beautiful mountains and clear waters, any place could be called a natural treasure.
However, Gongsun Du only smiled perfunctorily, his gaze sweeping across the villages along the road. The fifty servants seemed to have been prepared beforehand, often making excuses to stop, go to the toilet, rest, and even take the opportunity to enter the village to investigate.
Wei Hong saw this and didn't stop Gongsun Du even though he knew his intention.
After walking for four hours on the less than fifty miles road, they finally saw Xuantu County City against the backdrop of the white snow and blue sky after noon.
There were few pedestrians at the city gate, and the soldiers were lazily squatting at the side, yawning nonstop with sleepy eyes.
Gongsun Du's gaze swept across the area, and he thought back to what he had seen, heard, and investigated along the way. A trace of contempt appeared on his face.
The villages along the way were dilapidated, and the farmers either died or fled. Other than the houses and graves outside the village, there were no traces of human life.
The official road was full of potholes and had been in disrepair for a long time. Most of the areas near the river had been eroded and destroyed by the current.
Gongsun Du thought to himself, This new prefect is even more powerful than Wang Dai. When Wang Dai was in power, there were still farmers living in the village. However, this Liu Heng has been in office for less than half a year and nine out of ten households have been emptied. It seems that the price to curry favor with the constant attendant is quite high!”
" Governor Gongsun," Zhang Hu whispered as they entered the city," I didn't expect the Xuantu Commandery soldiers to be so slack. It seems that the dozen people we met before were just pretending."
Hehe, if there is a chance in the future, please give me five thousand soldiers and Zhang Hu will definitely trample Xuantu!”
Gongsun Du smiled sinisterly." There's no hurry. If this continues, I'm afraid we won't even need to waste a single soldier!"”
There were few people on the street, and the road was dirty. The melted snow at noon was now condensed with mud, making a crisp sound when stepping on it.
The residents of the city were all pale and thin, obviously due to hunger.
The houses were as dilapidated as the villages outside the city. Gongsun Du looked around and couldn't help but laugh,""Old man Xianyu indeed has foresight. This Liu Heng is truly extraordinary!”
Zhang Hu didn't understand what he was saying, so he scratched his head and smiled foolishly.
Liu Heng came to the entrance of the prefecture to welcome them. From afar, he saw a group of people walking over.
The person in the front had to be divided into two parts. The clothes sewn with high-quality cloth showed his noble status. The date red horse under him walked steadily. One look and one could tell that it was a good horse from the grasslands.
Liu Heng quickly took two steps forward and saluted." Governor Gongsun has come in person to pay his respects. Liu Heng has not gone far to welcome you. Please forgive me."”
Gongsun Du saw a young man dressed in the official uniform of the prefect, the material of which was of a higher grade than his own. He immediately guessed that he was the rumored young prefect, Liu Heng!
Gongsun Du got off his horse and returned the greeting." Governor Liu is young and promising. He led the county soldiers to defeat the fierce Wuhuan and increased the might of the Great Han. He should receive my bow first!"”
Liu Heng pretended to be an old man and laughed heartily." Governor Gongsun, you flatter me. It's just a small merit. What's the point of mentioning it?" To be honest with Gongsun, the Wuhuan retreated because of the Xianbei's surprise attack. Otherwise, even with the Liaodong border troops, they might not be their match.”
Gongsun Du laughed out loud.”As he spoke, he walked into the manor.
Zhang Hu waved his hand, and forty servants immediately lined up on both sides of the manor gate. Another ten people followed him in.
Seeing this, Wei Hong ordered his soldiers to be on high alert while he followed closely behind Liu Heng to protect him.
Liu Heng nodded to himself and asked as he walked,""Governor Gongsun, why have you come from afar?”
Gongsun Du glanced at the simple main courtyard of the prefecture and replied,""About the migration of the refugees."
Liu Heng thought to himself,"You old fox, you never mentioned the dirty matter of refusing to send reinforcements, but instead provoked the refugees!" "It's fine if you don't mention refugees, but when you mention these two words…my heart turns cold!"”
Gongsun Du's brows twitched slightly as he slowly sat down and waited for more.
"Even if Governor Gongsun doesn't come, I plan to pay him a visit soon," Liu Heng continued. Since January of this year, farmers from Liaodong had brought their families to Xuantu and begged. If they could get something, it would be fine, but if they couldn't, they would take risks. Robbery and theft made the security of the county worse day by day, and the people in the county complained.”
Gongsun Du stared at Liu Heng, not letting go of any clues." If the refugees are not properly managed, it will definitely cause many problems. However, after settling them down…"
"Settle down?" Liu Heng waved his hand and frowned. It was easier said than done! The Wuhuan had been pillaging every year, and Goguryeo and Fuyu were constantly encroaching on Xuantu's land. It was a pity that the county only had two thousand soldiers and forty thousand citizens…it was unknown if they could survive this year.”
Gongsun Du's face was full of sympathy, but he was laughing in his heart: I told you to buy an official position with money, hmph! What was this called? This was called spending money to buy suffering!
" Governor Liu is helping Liaoxi. Governor Jia will definitely thank him. Liaoxi Prefecture is the throat that connects Liaodong. It's naturally rich. If that's the case…"
Before he could finish, Liu Heng interrupted,""Rich? Gongsun Prefecture, who did you hear this from? If it was before the Wuhuan plundered, it would still be appropriate, but now…it was even more declining than Xuantu, it was truly a desolate place!”
Gongsun Du didn't have any news about Liaoxi, so he changed the topic.""If that's the case, why are the people still pouring into Xuantu?”
Liu Heng looked outside the door and said sadly," If they stayed in Xuantu, they would thank the heavens. But the reality is that these people are only passing by Xuantu. They are all heading towards Yuyang."”
As Liu Heng spoke, he cursed with the boxing case,""Gongsun Zan, that bastard, not only did he refuse to send troops to rescue us, he even took the opportunity to recruit refugees. Not only Liaodong, but more than a hundred people from Xuantu are escaping every day.
In the long run, he would not be able to keep his official position, and he might even lose his life. If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have played with this prefect!”
Gongsun Du was even more delighted when he saw Liu Heng like this: Let you, a child, buy an official position. Now you know how to cry! Gongsun Zan had always been ambitious and looked down on Liaoxi and Liaodong like a tiger! When I return to Xiangping, I will definitely write a memorial to the Imperial Court! Governor Liu also wanted to report that Gongsun Zan had to be taken down no matter what!”
Liu Heng immediately walked up to Gongsun Du with tears in his eyes, held his hand and said gratefully,""Governor Gongsun…is a good man!"
Gongsun Du pretended to be touched and took the opportunity to ask,""I heard that Governor Liu actively responded to His Majesty's decree to form a militia and it was quite effective. Can Gongsun Du learn from it? It is also to protect the border of the Great Han Dynasty from bandits.
Moreover, Governor Liu had once led his troops to fight with the Wuhuan, so he should be familiar with their combat strategy. Du also wanted to follow suit. I hope Governor Liu…"
Liu Heng pretended to be hesitant. Wei Hong, who was standing at the side, almost laughed out loud when he saw his lord's superb acting skills. "This…this…alright! Since Governor Gongsun had spoken, Liu Heng couldn't refuse. Commandant Wei, lead the way. We'll rush to the drill ground immediately!”
As he spoke, he winked at Wei Hong twice.
Wei Hong immediately nodded and turned to leave. "Please, Governor Gongsun," said Liu Heng, extending his hand.”
Liu Heng's quick response was out of Gongsun Du's expectations. Gongsun Du was stunned on the spot.
"Please go first, my lord!" Zhang Hu hurriedly whispered.”
Gongsun Du reacted and walked out of the room with an awkward smile.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]