Qi Jiangzhou, the governor's office.
Master Qian was wrapped in thick clothes and his hair was still wet. He was curled up next to Lu Yao, shivering.
"That's all he said, and then he sent someone to cover my eyes and sent me outside the city. I couldn't hear the sound. I took off the cloth and took a look. There was no one else around. I was holding the horse beside me.
Hurry up and get on your horse and come to the city."
Master Qian was really frightened.
Lu Yao, on the other hand, looked at several packages. These packages were all found on the horse and hung on both sides. After opening them, he saw that they contained exquisite jewelry with a very obvious southern style.
Lu Yao listened to Master Qian's words and looked at the gift sent by the enemy, frowning and saying nothing.
Master Qian had been following Lu Yao for too long, and he was very familiar with him. He could tell what he was thinking at a glance, so he could only whisper: "My lord, you can't be anxious now. Everyone here is having an affair with Chen."
, we are weak, so the enemy generals can capture me in the city, isn't this a naked demonstration?"
"If the lord really wants to solve these things, it is better to ask for their gifts first and let them relax their vigilance. Instead of investigating these things, first promote a few available talents."
Lu Yao looked at Master Qian in shock, "What do you mean?"
"We are currently very weak. I am the only one who can make suggestions. The only ones who can do things are the twenty or so cavalry accompanying us. However, there are tens of thousands of enemies. How can we resist?"
"You keep talking."
"Let's just pretend that we don't care about smuggling, use other reasons to deal with those evil thieves, and promote talented people to help you. If we live like this for a year, we won't have to worry about being captured in the city, and we can
Let’s go to the north with peace of mind.”
The expectations on Lu Yao's face suddenly disappeared.
"never mind."
He waved his hand and said helplessly: "You don't want to go to investigate further, just stay in the official office with peace of mind, and I will talk about these things when I get better."
Master Qian quickly agreed, not daring to disturb Lu Yao anymore and turned around to leave.
After the other party left, Lu Yao slowly picked up the document from the side. This was the letter sent by Liu Taozi.
The content of the letter is very simple, that is, he hopes that Lu Yao can abandon his official position and go north.
The other party seemed to be talking about a very simple matter, but the profound meaning behind it made Lu Yao couldn't help but feel horrified.
After Gao Zhan was forcibly removed from office, the temple's prestige seemed to have dropped to its lowest level.
I can’t believe it when a dignified minister abandons his official position to follow a local general.
If this had been done in the past, it would have been a crime capable of killing a clan.
Has the world become so ruined?
Lu Yao raised his head with a solemn expression. He carefully folded the letter several times and put it into his sleeve. Then he stood up with difficulty and said, "Come here, prepare the carriage. I want to go to inspect the counties."
!!”
The layout of Jinxicheng is different from many cities in the north.
The buildings in the city are not symmetrical, and the roads are not straight. The roads in the city are winding, the buildings are located in random directions, and the architectural style is not the same as those in the north.
The city is quite prosperous. In addition to the two cities, there are "scattered markets" formed spontaneously by the people in many places.
There were many horse-drawn carriages on the road and it was bustling.
One by one, wealthy businessmen with fat heads and big ears, dressed in brocade, got out of the car and walked into the shops on both sides with smiles.
But just outside the doors of these bustling shops, there were many ragged people squatting.
They often just wear a rag that cannot cover their whole body, squatting on both sides, and whenever they see someone passing by, they rush forward to recommend themselves.
There were a few guards escorting the 'goods' out of the city, while the shackled slaves moved forward numbly.
Laughter can be heard in the restaurant, and through the windows upstairs, people inside can be seen raising their glasses and singing in high spirits.
Outside the restaurant door, there were several bodies of people on the verge of starving to death.
Lu Yao's carriage passed slowly on the road, surrounded by knights in front and behind. Lu Yao observed the situation outside.
Jiangzhou has a lot of arable land and a lot of manpower. As a transportation hub, its commercial status is also very good.
But Lu Yao checked the tax and financial situation in previous years and found that the government in Jiangzhou was extremely poor. The prefectures, counties, and counties were extremely poor at every level. The soldiers in counties and counties had to rely on donations for their military rations.
As for the people's livelihood situation, it is even more of a mess. Governments without money are not able to shoulder the responsibilities they should bear. Financial pressure is often pushed onto the heads of ordinary people, further pushing the people into the abyss.
Lu Yao checked the market and then the scattered markets in the city.
There are not many commercial activities in the commercial markets designated by the government. Instead, illegal commercial gathering places circulate more frequently.
The government has no money and cannot stabilize the business environment, so commercial activities are out of the control of the government. Everyone finds a place to do it privately without paying taxes, which forms an extremely vicious cycle.
If we want to solve these problems, we must first break this cycle. Even if we ask for money or food from the temple, we must restore the administrative capacity of the government!
After Lu Yao completed his first inspection, he decided to solve the commercial problems first. He wrote to the temple asking for assistance. At the same time, he also wrote to remove several officials who had no political achievements in the local area and were greedy and bribed. He sent his own knights to inspect
They seized the mansions of these officials and used the proceeds from looting to appease officials in various places who had not seen their salaries for a long time.
For a time, the situation in Jiangzhou improved rapidly.
On this day, a group of people slowly appeared on the road outside Jinxi City.
The carriage is extremely luxurious.
There were more than ten knights on each side leading the way.
This configuration alone scared the carriages along the road to avoid them, and no one dared to stop them. When the group of people came to the city gate, they were rudely stopped by the clerk.
The clerk's face was pale and he was very frightened.
With a grimace on his face and tremblingly, he asked the knight for a place of refuge.
"My noble man, please don't blame me. We never dared to be so rude before. When a new governor takes office, he must register. If he fails to register, he will be executed."
The little official trembled and explained that he was not someone he could afford to offend who could lead more than twenty cavalry around.
If someone gets angry and chops him to death, then there is no telling whether anyone dares to make the decision for himself.
Fortunately, the knight had no intention of embarrassing the clerk, and quickly handed over the residence and asked the other party to register.
The clerk called the other people, quickly finished the work, and handed the pass to the other party with a frightened look on his face.
When the group entered the city, the clerk breathed a sigh of relief.
Colleagues on the side quickly supported him, "Who is it? Whose family? What a great style!"
The clerk shook his head and said with some fear:
"LouLou's house."
This group of people headed towards the official office in a mighty manner. Before the officials could go to report, the knights occupied the gate first.
The carriage broke into the government office directly, and some soldiers rushed out from the front yard of the government office to confront them.
For a moment, the official office was extremely noisy.
Master Qian stood in front of the soldiers with a sharp blade in his hand. He gritted his teeth as he looked at the guy who had forced his way in, and ordered people to summon the county soldiers.
The next moment, the carriage stopped and a person got out of the carriage.
He was a half-grown baby, he looked about ten years old, and his face was immature. He was thin, his face was slightly gloomy, and he didn't look like a good person.
He looked to the left and right, and finally his eyes fell on Master Qian.
"I'm here to meet Mr. Lu."
Master Qian put away his sharp knife, "May I ask who you are?"
"I am Lou Ziyan, my father, the great general."
"Lou Gong."
Master Qian hurriedly asked the soldiers on the left and right to step back, and walked forward with a smile, "It turns out to be Mr. Lou. My lord and Mr. Lou are friends."
"Come here, hurry up and report to the governor."
"Please come with me"
Master Qian led Lou Ziyan on the road slowly and tentatively asked him about his purpose of coming.
Lou Ziyan looked quite arrogant and didn't answer much when faced with the enthusiastic Mr. Qian.
When they entered the inner room, Lu Yao was already ready, dressed appropriately, and sitting in the upper seat.
Lou Ziyan put away his arrogance slightly and bowed to Lu Yaoxing.
"How are you, Mr. Lou?"
"Shang Jianlian."
"Father asked me to say hello to you. This is his letter."
Lu Yao's face has always been serious.
Especially after learning the identity of the other party, he became more and more serious.
Because he really knows Lou Rui very well.
This person has always been unwilling to do anything early, and this time he was just about to take action to punish local problems. Lou Ziyan appeared here with a letter from his father. It was obvious that there was something about Lou Rui here.
Lou Rui's letter didn't mention anything else, it was just an ordinary letter telling old times, talking about the past friendship between the two. Lu Yao finished reading the letter and put it away with a smile.
"I also miss Mr. Lou a lot."
Lou Ziyan suddenly said: "Mr. Lu, I came here this time on my grandpa's order to seek help from Mr. Lu."
The smile on Lu Yao's face immediately froze, and he shook his head, "If Mr. Lou wants to do something, there is no need for me to intervene. I am just a governor of a small state."
Lou Ziyan explained: "Don't worry too much, Mr. Lu. I didn't ask you to come here to ask you to do anything illegal."
"I just came to say hello to you and explain some things to you to avoid any misunderstandings."
"Misunderstand?"
Lu Yao frowned, "I'd like to hear the details."
Lou Ziyan said calmly: "My grandfather has some business here. In the next few days, some ships may come from the north to stay here or pass by. My grandfather hopes that you will not embarrass these merchant ships."
.”
Lu Yao gently stroked his beard and said, "As long as I pay enough vehicle and ship taxes and do not transport prohibited goods, why should I be in trouble? I am not a villain who likes to embarrass the people. It seems that Mr. Lou has misunderstood me."
Lou Ziyan immediately said: "They will not pay the vehicle and ship tax, and the goods they transport are prohibited goods, including war horses, ironware, etc."
Lu Yao suddenly clenched his fists and suppressed the anger in his heart.
"Is Mr. Lou preparing to collaborate with the enemy?"
Lou Ziyan shook his head, "My grandpa also considers the interests of the world and the country."
"Do you know where these merchant ships come from?"
"Since there are war horses and iron weapons, I guess they came from An Ying and other places, right?"
"Yes, it was under the rule of your old friend, General Wei."
Lu Yao said softly: "Although General Wei is fond of killing and arrogant, he is not the kind of person who sells out the country for profit."
Lou Ziyan heard something in the other party's words, but he was not angry. He continued to explain: "General Wei did not trade directly with the southerners, but the things did come from him. The frontier experienced a war, and nine out of ten rooms
The land is empty, ruins are everywhere, the cultivated land has been burned, and the people have no shelter."
"General Wei, we are short of food."
"Not only the border fortresses, but also Jinyang and north are all destroyed. General Wei is needed everywhere to find ways to appease them."
"The temple itself cannot be protected, so how can we get so much food to help the frontier fortress?"
"These are the things that General Wei gave in exchange for food."
Lu Yao was stunned for a long time, speechless for a moment.
Lou Ziyan continued: "On both sides of the river, along the way, who is not doing business? There are many ministers in the court, who is clean?"
"My grandpa knows who you are, so I didn't think about using money to bribe you, nor did I want to get you to join the gang. I just asked Mr. Lu to make it easier, even for the sake of the victims at the border fortress."
Lu Yao's face became increasingly ugly.
He stood up, clutching Lou Rui's letter in his hand.
"These war horses and iron weapons are sold to the southerners. Aren't you afraid that they will use these things to kill people in the north?!"
"How many lives will Qi people lose by selling these things?"
"On the pretext of providing relief to the frontier fortress, can we violate the law unscrupulously?"
Looking at the furious Lu Yao, Lou Ziyan did not speak or get angry.
Lu Yao said forcefully: "General Wei wants to protect the people on the frontier, and I also want to protect the people under his rule. I will not do such a thing to endanger the enemy!"
"If a ship comes in violation of regulations, I will send people to intercept it, investigate thoroughly, and report the truth to the temple!!"
Lou Ziyan looked at Lu Yao in confusion, "I really don't understand, everyone in the world is doing this, why can't you be accommodating?"
Lu Yao murmured: "The reason why Da Qi is like this is because it is too accommodating."
"Mr. Lou will tell Mr. Lou when he gets back that I won't allow it."
After Lu Yao finished speaking, he turned around and left.
Lou Ziyan was the only one left in the empty room.
Lou Ziyan wrapped his clothes tightly, stood up, and walked out. There was already a knight waiting for him, and Lou Ziyan led everyone out of the official office.
"Young Master, has the matter been successful?"
The leading knight helped him get into the car and asked again.
Lou Ziyan shook his head, "What a pity. I thought it would definitely work. I didn't expect Mr. Lu to be so stubborn."
The knight was very surprised: "He actually refused?"
Lou Ziyan nodded.
The knight asked again: "Why don't we let General Wei write a letter on our behalf? If he comes forward."
"If General Wei wants to sell things to the South, where do we need to do it? He can transport it himself. We still can't let General Wei know too much about this matter."
The knight frowned.
Master Qian appeared here with a smile. He saluted Lou Ziyan, "Mr. Lou, why don't you stay a little longer? Are you in a hurry to leave?"
Lou Ziyan looked at him and said, "Please Qian Jun to send us out of the city."
"Easy to say."
They walked towards the outside of the city again. On the road, Master Qian said with a smile: "Don't blame Mr. Lou. My lord has always been a straight-tempered person. It's not that he is rude to Mr. Lou, it's just that he doesn't want to."
It’s just something to do.”
"I don't think Mr. Lou will blame him, right?"
Lou Ziyan shook his head, "I won't blame you. There are not many officials like Mr. Lu in the world. Although my grandfather doesn't like such people, he won't take action against them."
Master Qian looked at Lou Ziyan secretly. He thought that if the other party failed to achieve his goal, he would be very angry and would think of ways to retaliate. However, Lou Ziyan looked very calm, without any anger or mood swings.
This made Master Qian feel a little uneasy subconsciously. He always felt that the other party had some confidence and that something was wrong.
Lou Ziyan suddenly said: "Master Qian, my grandfather is a good man, at least he will not take action against Mr. Lu, but there are many evil people in Daqi, and they will not show mercy to those who block their way of making money."
"You have to protect him, do you understand?"
Master Qian frowned, was he starting to threaten himself?
Everyone had left the city at this moment, but the carriage stopped here. Just as Master Qian was about to speak, Lou Ziyan motioned for him to stay down, got in the carriage himself, and asked someone to take out the things in the carriage.
After a while, Lou Ziyan stepped out of the car and changed into official uniform.
The knights on the side took out many ritual objects and equipped them one after another.
Lou Ziyan calmly picked up the festival banner from the side and looked at Master Qian, "I came here on the orders of the Emperor. There is an edict issued to Lu Yao, the governor of Jiangzhou. Please take us in."
Master Qian was stunned at this moment.
He widened his eyes and looked at the people in front of him in astonishment.
Lou Ziyan entered the city for the second time, but this time, the situation became very different. As soon as the carriage arrived at the government office, Lu Yao led many officials to greet him.
Lu Yao knelt on the ground, his face ashen.
Lou Ziyan looked at everyone, as if the person who came to see Lu Yao just now was not him.
There was no emotion in his eyes, cold and heartless.
"Lu Yao, the governor of Jiangzhou, has made great achievements in governing the place, so he moved to Qinzhou to serve as the governor."
"Please Governor Lu to take office as soon as possible, don't waste time."
Lou Ziyan read out the emperor's edict coldly, and then asked someone to hand it to Lu Yao.
Then, he turned around and left neatly. He didn't say another word to Lu Yao, and he didn't even look at him again.
In the eyes of the important officials in the temple, Lu Yao's persistence and resistance were meaningless.
The officials were very surprised. Lu Yao had not been here long, so why was he transferred again?
They talked a lot and were worried about the situation in Jiangzhou, which had just improved somewhat.
Master Qian walked carefully to Lu Yao's side and helped him up. He looked at Lu Yao's livid face and whispered: "My lord, the temple is full of people like this who are in power, what else can be done?
If we don't allow it, they will replace it immediately. We have no way to do it, so don't be angry, your health has just gotten better."
Lu Yao stared at the retreating men and horses, and his lips couldn't help but tremble.
"Daqi."
"I'm going to die!!!"
Chapter completed!