Chapter 274 Saving the World and Helping the People

It was like a horse grazing by a river with abundant grass and water, and suddenly a red-hot steel knife stabbed its buttocks.

The Wei Dynasty, which was more than half short of officials, burst out with high administrative efficiency that had never burst out when it was full, and opened up all aspects of the joints to stabilize grain prices at lightning speed.

A large number of lower-level officials walked out of the capital and rushed to the fourteen provinces along the unobstructed official roads. Wherever they passed, the high grain prices were like a charcoal basin poured with water, cooling down quickly in the smoke...

Those big landlords who had been shouting that there was no grain suddenly had grain.

Those grain roads that were previously blocked were suddenly unobstructed.

Even those grain transport officers and soldiers who had previously been either windy or rainy when it came to transporting grain suddenly became model workers who were not afraid of wind and rain and were anxious to help others!

The common people were also confused by this sudden change.

Poor people were already on the road to escape famine with their families, but the price of grain suddenly fell back to its original price?

People with little assets were already prepared to tighten their belts to survive the famine, but the price of grain suddenly fell back to its original price?

They cried with joy, hugged their families and shouted loudly in surprise...

Crying for a life in despair!

Shouting that God has eyes!

Countless refugees who fled halfway through the famine pulled carts back home with full of hope and enthusiasm.

Countless people who tightened their belts and ate "coarse grains" for several months ate the first bite of pure grain during the Zhaode period with tears in their eyes...

In the hearts of all the people, the three sad words "saved" full of the feeling of surviving a disaster lingered.

Some people always think that the lower-class people make a living by farming and eat the food they produce themselves. As long as it is not a year of great disaster, the simple increase in food prices will not hurt the lower-class people...

However, in the era of backward productivity and extremely low per-acre yield, most people work hard all year round, and after paying taxes and rent, the surplus is not enough to support their family until the next year!

What? There is not enough food to eat, so how do they survive?

In good years, wild vegetables are added to grain.

In bad years, wild vegetables are added to grain.

In years of famine, wild vegetables are added to grass roots and bark.

When the bark and grass roots are eaten up, they eat soil and become a full ghost...

This is the most real life of the Chinese people under the feudal monarchy.

The ability to resist risks?

It cannot be said that they are not strong, but that they are completely absent!

Any insignificant accident and disaster can destroy countless seemingly normal families in a very short time.

This is not because they don't work hard, nor is it because they are short-sighted, but because there are countless smart people who have calculated everything. From the moment they were born, their lives have been arranged. They are not allowed to have enough food or live a good life... They have to work hard just to survive like cattle and horses. Only those smart people are not afraid of them having extra ideas, and can continue to live peacefully.

And grain prices are the cornerstone of prices in any era.

Rising grain prices mean that everything will rise.

Even if someone can buy nothing and spend no copper coins... taxes still have to be paid, right? Rent still has to be paid, right?

There is no doubt that taxes and land rents in the year of disaster will not be less than normal seasons, but will be much more than normal seasons... Even if the court has a disaster relief policy, it will always become a carnival feast for the lower-level officials and gentry to make a fortune and share the cake.

Where do you think the money of those corrupt officials comes from?

It's all scraped from the poor!

Where do you think the lands of those big landlords come from?

They were all taken from the people by trickery and plunder during the years of famine!

Grain prices are the lives of the people!

Saving grain prices is saving the lives of the people!

A long, long time later...

The people only knew that someone had given up his own peaceful life to save their lives, went to the capital to fight against 30,000 imperial guards, and killed half of the court with one sword!

…

Since Yang Ge came out of Ziwei Palace that day, he never stepped out of the West Factory Yamen.

He knew that there were countless eyes staring at him outside the yamen.

He also knew that many people in this city did not welcome him.

He hoped that these people could concentrate on doing things.

So he didn't go out to make trouble for these people...

Fang Ke and Nangong Feiying watched him every day, constantly passing his handwritten letters through the information channels of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the West Factory.

Zhao Hong also came every day, chatting with him, and reporting to him the progress of the court in stabilizing grain prices and reorganizing the imperial guards.

The so-called reorganization of the imperial guards, to be precise, should be the reorganization of the 26 guards of Shangzhi, and the important task of guarding the capital should be transferred to the three camps of the capital formed by Emperor Xiping.

This is a big project. Even if it must be done, it should be done slowly and slowly, otherwise it is very easy to cause a mutiny.

But this time Zhao Hong also made a great determination. He pulled Yang Ge's tiger skin and quickly seized all the generals of the 26 guards above the level of a thousand households. Then he forcibly dismembered the more than 100,000 soldiers and horses of the 26 guards into thousands of hundred households, and transferred them to various provinces and prefectures in batches.

They were all dismembered into hundreds of households. As long as they stepped out of the capital, they would never be able to cause chaos again...

It is strange that even Zhao Hong himself felt more at ease after sending most of the 26 Guards out of the capital.

In fact, the 150,000 soldiers of the three camps are not elite. Although these 150,000 soldiers are all brave and strong men drawn from the guards in various places, they have been formed for less than a year. The running-in period between the generals and soldiers has not yet passed, and they have not experienced the tempering of war. How elite can they be?

But the 26 Guards are too bad. There are factions, corruption, and empty salaries in the army. There are more than 200,000 soldiers on the books, but in fact, there may be less than 150,000. Among them, there are a large number of white-haired old soldiers who tremble when walking and weak new soldiers who can't even carry armor... The court is counting on these 150,000 to protect the capital, and these 150,000 soldiers are probably counting on the capital to protect them!

This wave is all due to the support of peers!

In addition to Zhao Hong, Wang Jiangling also came every now and then, chatting with Yang Ge about various state affairs, while openly and secretly hoping that Yang Ge would continue to support the new policy.

Yang Ge had complicated feelings about this person.

It has been more than four years since the new policy was launched.

Yang Ge had a relatively clear understanding of this person.

On the one hand, this person is indeed a capable person. The new policy from his hand really hit the key points of the court's malpractices. If it can be implemented thoroughly, it is possible to lead the Wei Dynasty to a new height.

On the other hand, this person is indeed a kind-hearted gentleman with a heart to save the world and the people. The new policies he formulated and implemented were, in a sense, for the country and the people, and betrayed his class...

It's just that this person's temperament... is too upright and his skills are not so good.

Emperor Xiping Zhao Shu trusted him and entrusted the government affairs to him. As a result, Emperor Xiping was killed by the whole court of civil and military officials under his nose, but he was still unaware!

Emperor Zhao Hong also trusted him and strongly supported his new policies after he came to power. As a result, he watched helplessly as civil and military officials raised grain prices!

Don't say that supervising officials is the responsibility of the three inner courts. The chief minister of the cabinet is the most powerful minister. Although he does not have the title of prime minister, he has the power of prime minister.

You, Wang Jiangling, led all the officials on behalf of the emperor to the point that all the officials joined forces to kill the old emperor and undermine the young emperor. Do you dare to say that you have no responsibility and are not ashamed of the trust of two generations of emperors?

But how should he tell Wang Jiangling these words?

Should he tell Wang Jiangling: If you want to be a famous minister, you must first be a powerful minister?

Even if he could say these words, Wang Jiangling would not dare to believe him!

In the end...

Yang Ge only listened to the words between the monarch and the minister, without replying a word, and let them toss about.

To be honest, if he were to do what they did, he could not guarantee that he could do better than them.

What he could do with power, he could do without power.

What he couldn't do now, he still couldn't do with power.

Rather than occupying the toilet without doing anything, it's better to maintain the status quo, and you can see more clearly from a distance.

In a blink of an eye, the half-month period has arrived.

The news that the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Western Factory have inquired from the prefectures of the fourteen provinces shows that the grain prices in various places have dropped significantly.

Yang Ge followed the agreement and led Fang Ke and others out of the city and left.

When the hundreds of riders disappeared in the billowing smoke and dust, the hearts of the civil and military officials who were hanging in their throats finally fell back into their chests: 'I'm alive, I'm finally alive...'

'Resign, resign, whoever wants to be this official in the future, I won't serve you anymore! '

'I can't win, I can't win at all...'

'Zhao Shu, you are so cruel! ’

…

Southwest…

Yang Zaixian’s 8,000 remnants were hiding on an unknown mountain. 30,000 imperial soldiers had surrounded the mountain for three days and their food was about to run out.

In the evening, Yang Zaixian, who had just returned from patrolling the camp, walked into the general’s tent with his sword on his waist. He saw a man in black sitting on one side of the tent, staring at the map hanging above the tent.

Seeing the man in black, Yang Zaixian was stunned for a few seconds, then smiled at him and said warmly: "I haven't seen you for a long time, how are you, Envoy Jin!"

The man in black turned around, smiled and clasped his fists in return: "I came here uninvited, please don't be offended, General Yang."

"You are not saying that, Envoy Jin!"

Yang Zaixian laughed and said: "You can come to this desolate mountain, which means you think highly of me, Yang. How can I, Old Yang, not know what is good for me... Come on, tell the kitchen to slaughter a sheep..."

The man in black waved his hand to interrupt Yang Zaixian's shout: "General Yang, don't be busy. I came here today to discuss important matters with General Yang. I will leave after sitting for a while."

Yang Zaixian took off the sword at his waist and placed it horizontally on the weapon rack above the general's tent: "Hey, Jin The envoy has come all the way here, so at least give Yang a chance to show his hospitality!"

The man in black smiled and shook his head slightly: "No need to bother, I have to go somewhere else later..."

Yang Zaixian replied reluctantly with a look of disappointment: "Forgive me for being rude... Envoy Jin took the risk to come here today, but the second master has something to bring to Yang!"

"General Yang is quick-witted, I admire him!"

The man in black bowed and smiled, and at the end he took another look at the map above the general's tent, and said meaningfully: "But it seems that I came this time... at the wrong time, the court underestimated General Yang!"

It is rumored that the court army has cut off and surrounded the coalition forces of the chieftains in the southwest, and defeat is imminent.

However, he could see from the standard offensive and defensive trends on the map that Yang Zaixian was not at the end of his rope as the outside world said.

Yang Zaixian still has some cards.

He is still waiting for a chance to turn defeat into victory!

Yang Zaixian smiled modestly and returned the courtesy: "The Guizhou donkey is so poor that it made the Jin envoy laugh."

The man in black smiled and shook his head, and said seriously: "Let's get down to business first... The second master asked me to lead a path for General Yang and the other generals."

Yang Zaixian asked doubtfully: "What way?"

Man in black: "Stay alive!"

Yang Zaixian frowned and pondered for a moment, but he still couldn't figure it out: "Yang is a rough man and doesn't know a few Chinese characters. Why should I ask the envoy Jin to clear up my confusion?"

The man in black pondered for a moment and replied: "Then I'll forgive you for the offence...General Yang and the other generals, their defeat is very close."

After hearing this, Yang Zaixian nodded and echoed without changing his expression: "Mr. Jin has a good eye."

The man in black naturally knew that he was pretending, and chuckled: "The second master asked the generals for a way to survive from the court. Please give up and return to the court. The second master guarantees that the wives, children, children, and family members of the generals will be safe." Save yourself from death."

Yang Zai frowned slightly, but soon returned to his normal expression, and asked softly: "What about Mr. Yang and the heads of the families?"

The man in black replied without hesitation: "You generals will lead your trusted soldiers to go north to the border to fight against the Tatars and defend your country until death!"

Yang Zaixian's eyes relaxed slightly, he opened his mouth and slowly exhaled a breath of filthy air, nodded with a smile and said: "I have heard for a long time that the Second Master is upright and righteous, and today I think I have met Mr. Yang... He is indeed an extraordinary man!"

He said it sincerely.

If he is really at the end of his rope and someone gives him a hand like this, he will really be grateful, remember it in his heart, and never forget it.

The man in black saw the relief on his brows and smiled: "General Yang, don't you think... you guys still have a chance?"

Yang Zaixian laughed forcefully when he heard the words, and reluctantly replied: "This...the world is not yet determined, and everything is possible. The Jin envoy is not a member of the army, so Yang cannot explain it in detail to the Jin envoy."

The man in black smiled, shook his head and said slowly: "I know that General Yang has some backup plans and the ability to fight... but you guys have no chance!"

Yang Zaixian smiled and followed his words and said, "Oh? Why do you see that?"

The man in black pointed to the sky: "The second master has started to reorganize the country. Whoever causes trouble again will die!"

"this……"

Yang Zaixian slowly frowned again and said cautiously: "Yang and the heads of each family strictly followed the second master's instructions, and they did not violate the second master's taboos with my father from the southwest, Lao Qiu... Did they not violate the second master's taboos?"

The implication: The second master is too overbearing, right?

The man in black shook his head and turned to say: "Has General Yang heard about the soaring and high food prices in various provinces? Half a month ago, the second master came to Beijing for this matter. He defeated 30,000 forbidden troops with one sword and killed everyone. Half of the court has brought down the price of food."

"Although you generals have done no harm to the common people, the money and food consumed by you and the imperial court are all the people's support and support from the common people in the world..."

"If the Second Master allows you to continue making trouble like this, then he is not the Second Master!"

"In addition, I have to remind the general... There are still rumors outside that all the generals have fallen into desperate situations, and the imperial army will triumphantly return in the near future!"

"General, do you know how much involvement the Second Master has in finding a way out for you in this situation?"

Yang Zaixian listened to the horrified silence behind him for a long time, and then sighed faintly: "Yang naturally knows that the second master is giving timely help, but this battle has already been defeated. If we are asked to accept our fate and give up, what will happen to us? Are you willing?"

"There's really no difference."

The man in black shook his head slightly: "From the moment the second master decided to go out to clean up the mountains and rivers, there has been no chance of chaos and chaos in the world. Even if you defeat the imperial court's 400,000 troops, nothing will change."

"The second master is not a soldier of the imperial court. Whoever he wants to kill, he never has to go through five levels to kill six generals and go through the trouble of making every step. He only needs to know where the damn person is, and then he will fly over with a 'swish' sound and chop him down with one knife. His head is finished."

"Your army of more than 100,000 sounds like you have a lot of strength, but if the second master kills you, it may only cost you a hundred or so swords, and you will no longer exist in this world..."

He gestured with his hands and showed Yang how the second master flew from one place to another with a "swish" sound, swinging his knife and killing.

Yang Zaixian looked at his gestures, feeling speechless and desperate.

It is said that after three days of separation, scholars should treat each other with admiration.

Since the last time he sat in a well and looked at the sky, he had been embarrassed, and he had spent a lot of time to understand the Jianghu affairs in detail, and to understand Yang Erlang's life. He was no longer the southwestern native leopard who had a dark eye on Jianghu affairs.

But precisely because he knew more than before, he felt fearful and desperate!

‘This kind of monster should not exist in the world! ’

He lamented in his heart and smiled bitterly: "Is there no room for relaxation? Stop now. Even if Mr. Yang is willing to admit it, the heads of the various families will not admit it."

The man in black stared and pondered for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully and said: "That's not to say there's nothing at all..."

Yang Zaixian clasped his fists with joy and said, "Please ask Ambassador Jin to teach me!"

The man in black thought while saying: "The result is impossible to change. No one can shake the second master's will, but this process... If General Yang is willing to remember the favor of my building outside the building, he can help Yang General!"

Yang Zaixian clasped his fists without hesitation and said, "If envoy Jin has anything to do, just let him know. Mr. Yang will do anything he can to help you!"

"We will talk about the specific matter later..."

The man in black waved his hand and lowered his voice and said, "Look at General Yang's marching defense plan. He must have planned a battle to turn defeat into victory, right?"

Yang nodded again.

Man in black: "Is ten days enough?"

Yang Zaixian glanced at him and asked uncertainly: "It should be...not enough?"

The man in black patted him on the shoulder: "It's not enough but it has to be enough. The second master handed the message to me outside the building for delivery. Although there is no time limit, the most I can do is delay the delivery of the message. In the next ten days, if the general can fight a beautiful battle to turn defeat into victory, then both the second master and the general will be able to talk about surrender later... What does the general think? "

He spoke very restrainedly, but Yang Zaixian understood it.

If defeat could be turned into victory, then wouldn't it be easier to talk about recruitment?

Don't even talk about protecting the lives of their family and children. It won't be justified if we don't give them a few high-ranking officials by then!

And the second master will feel much more relaxed, as he no longer has to bear such a big responsibility!

"Just do it!"

Yang Zaixian slapped his thigh heavily, and saluted solemnly with his palms together: "The friendship between the Jin Envoy and Lou Wai Lou will be kept in mind by all the family heads of the Yang generation. Whenever there is an assignment in the future, they will never say anything about it!"

The man in black shook his head with a smile on his face: "General, what you said is wrong. What you should remember is the friendship of the second master who helped him in times of need. I am just an errand boy under the second master. It is not worth mentioning. It is not worth mentioning." !”

Yang Zaixian followed the good advice: "What Jin Envoy taught me is that from now on, the Second Master will be our savior in the Southwest, the King of Heaven. From now on, the Second Master's words will be better kept in our three southwest provinces than the Emperor's imperial edict!"

The man in black narrowed his eyes and warned: "General, you can't just talk with words, respect must be proven with actual actions..."

Yang Zaixian: "What does Jin Shi mean?"

Man in black: "Look at the people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, how much benefit they got from building those Erlang temples for the second master?"