In July, the blazing heat in the countryside quickly subsided, and sporadic rain began to appear. Whether it was Hebei or Henan, pedestrians on the road became noticeably denser, commercial agricultural activities also quickly resumed, and everything seemed to have returned to normal.

In the past years, the weather has been good.

In Sanhuangli, the northwest corner of Jiangling County, a group of seven or eight knights arrived amidst the chirping of cicadas. They found a platform and overlooked the surrounding fields. Then several people discussed with each other, recorded a form, and hurried to the next step.

Chu Shuang Huangli left.

Repeatedly, the group was just looking around and did not even enter the countryside. That afternoon they rushed back to Jiangling City. They first went to the "Cow and Horse Camp" three miles south of the city to return the horses, signed the papers, and fed the animals themselves.

Will leave.

Those who prepare to enter the city enter the city, and those who return to the camp return to the camp.

However, as soon as the group came to the official road, a middle-aged officer in the lead looked around and saw many new wine shops and grocery stores beside the official road. He also saw that the sergeant behind him was obviously tired and hungry, so he simply said in a low voice.

Asked another young scribe next to him who was struggling to walk: "Liu Wenwen, the weather is nice and the brothers have been with us for another tiring day. Should we invite them to have a drink on the street?"

Hearing this, the young scribe felt a little embarrassed and touched the leather bag in his waist: "I'm ashamed, I didn't bring any money with me."

"It doesn't matter, I have enough here." The middle-aged officer laughed on the spot, patted the leather bag on his waist, and exposed the black ribbon. The two white decorations on it, which were either ivory or jade, were particularly conspicuous.

Obviously, this is an officer at the level of guardian of the gang. With such status, once transferred to the local area, he will start as a county lieutenant.

The young scribe actually had a similar ribbon on his body, but it was only decorated with a white hard strip, which seemed to be inferior.

Without further ado, he turned around and saw that the middle-aged officer was already laughing loudly: "Brothers, I almost forgot, today is a five-and-a-half-day holiday, and we don't work in the afternoon. Even if we enter the city, we can't make a job. It just so happens that the gang recently

Great reward, Liu Wenwen and I still have some money left here, so let’s buy a drink with everyone and take a breather.”

The accompanying sergeants were naturally overjoyed and expressed their gratitude, saying that Zhao Da had participated in Liu Wensheng.

Sure enough, these two people were not the leading officers and local officials below, but the staff officers and officials directly under Chief Zhang here in the general mausoleum.

In this way, everyone gathered around the two of them and walked along the official road twice. Because most of the wine shops and restaurants here had just opened in the past six months, they didn't choose any special place. They just pinched their noses to find a restaurant.

Went into the wine shop on the second floor, and because there were so many people, we just sat downstairs on the street.

It was early autumn, the heat had dissipated, and there was no shortage of melons, fruits, chickens, and ducks. However, due to the prohibition on alcohol, most of the alcohol was brought from outside the gang-controlled areas, so it was inevitably a bit expensive. That is, only when the superiors were treating us could we have the opportunity to enjoy ourselves.

Only after the drinks were over, all the sergeants spoke freely and immediately started talking nonsense. Not to mention, before the wine was over thirty, a similar group of people came, also led by a big ginseng.

A clerk led four or five people, and two groups of people joined the table. Especially after the sergeants below exchanged their names, hometowns, and seniorities, they became even more drunk and couldn't control their mouths.

And talking about it, it is natural to talk about today's busy work.

"Let me tell you, the higher-ups are too concerned about the drought." Probably because of the hard journey, a team leader couldn't help complaining. "In May, we rest and build ditches, and in June we go to war. It is said here that

He didn't stop. When he came back, the leader became the chief, but he still stared at this matter. It is said that he even made a self-examination, saying that the battle in Xuzhou should not be fought because of the drought, but this happened again... It's okay today, let's go up

In the first ten days, a big ginseng and I went directly to Bohai County, and the big ginseng didn’t know how to treat us to a drink... Tell me, who gave the chief the idea for this?"

Everyone went to see the four leaders, and among them, Xiao Liuwen was the first to laugh: "I'm afraid it's the chief's own idea."

The scene was inexplicably solemn.

The team leader suddenly woke up and quickly explained: "I don't understand... If we were busy before, it was for disaster relief, what about now? It's already July, no matter how busy we are, this is what this place is like, right? Why?

Do we still need to inspect the disaster situation?"

This time it was Zhao Da Shen's turn to smile, and he was the first to answer cheerfully: "Old Wang has missed it..."

"Of course I don't think too much. Otherwise, if we were the team leader together, you would have already joined me, but I would still be the team leader." Team leader Wang also quickly laughed. "Anyway, how can you think as much as Zhao, the quick-legged person?"

"I just have quick legs, how can I think too much? I can't understand even if I think too much? The truth is all what I heard from these scholars in Taiwan. For example, today's matter was explained clearly to me by Xiao Liu Wenwen that day."

Zhao Dacan pointed at his partner beside him and smiled, then immediately became solemn. "He said that since ancient times, famines have been divided into three parts natural disasters and seventy parts man-made disasters. In the past, disaster relief was to reduce natural disasters, but now we go to explore disasters to

Less trouble..."

Everyone stood in silence.

And then, Zhao Dacan pointed at Xiao Liuwen and said something.

The first thing to talk about is the drought itself.

First of all, the scale of this drought is particularly large. It basically covers Kinki, Eastern Territory, Hebei, Jianghuai, and affects as many as 70 or 80 prefectures and counties.

Secondly, the situation of this drought is very complicated. The eastern coastal areas are more common, Huainan is much better, Kinki to Hanshui area is slightly better, and the most severe ones are in central and western Hebei, western Tojing, Huaixi, and eastern Kinki.

.

And here in the core territory of the gang, the drought situation is equally complicated and chaotic. The eastern border is different from Hebei, Dengzhou is different from Dongjun, and the Bohai Sea is different from the plains, including the same county, because it is not next to the main river.

Whether it is irrigated in time or not is completely different.

After saying this, Zhao Dacan began to talk about this errand: "When the chief was still the leader, he set several basic rules. One of the most important ones was the fairness of taxes and corvee... But now that it has come out

This drought will definitely require appropriate tax reductions and reductions after autumn. For example, if the harvest is less than half, it will be exempted; if the harvest is less than 10%, it will be collected normally; if it is 20% to 30%, there will also be corresponding reductions and exemptions... But just now

As I said, the drought situation is so complicated and it all depends on the local officials to report it, which is very troublesome."

"I understand." Hearing this, Captain Wang suddenly realized. "I'm afraid that the local officials will over-report and report indiscriminately! If they fail to pay the taxes, they will lose next year's military rations!"

All the sergeants were also stunned.

"That's right." Zhao Dacan sighed. "However, I personally heard the chief tell Chen Internal Affairs that what he fears most is actually underreporting the disaster, or even not reporting it at all..."

Except for a few staff officers, clerks, and sergeants, they were all surprised.

Liu Wenwen finally couldn't bear it anymore and sneered: "Don't forget that during the late Wei Dynasty, didn't we always not report or underreport? We didn't report disasters, which made the people suffer, and taxes were collected... Anyway, politics

Qingming is not as high as the people of Guanlong, but it rises just as fast."

"This is the same as granting land." Someone reacted. "When the rebellion first started, the leader... the chief sent someone to say specifically that in the Wei Dynasty, one acre of land was granted, not two acres of land, and two acres of land were granted.

Doubling the taxes to make the Emperor of Wei happy makes him happy, but the result is that we people from the East and Hebei have toiled for a whole year and can only barely survive, waiting to die when disaster strikes."

"Isn't that what we say when we encounter disaster years and wait for death? This is a connection."

"That's why you rebelled against him!"

"Does our gang also have such an officer?"

"There are officials like this everywhere. As long as they can be promoted, they don't care about anything... Besides, many officials were originally appointed by people from the imperial court who surrendered directly."

"Anyway, I know the whole story." Chef Wang concluded. "Here is a rough comparison to save the local officials from cheating... Now that I know it, I will not be tired. Come on, let's drink!"

"Drink, drink, drink!"

There was a moment of commotion in the store.

"Did you hear that?" At this moment, in front of the window on the second floor, there was a man wearing a wide robe and long sleeves, twirling his beard and smiling. It was Xie Minghe, the person in charge of foreign affairs. "The staff officers, clerks, and these sergeants in the station are all better than you.

Know something."

"What's the matter with Xiao?" The person opposite was actually Chen Bin, the head of the housekeeping department. When he heard this, he just responded coldly. "Did I just tell them the same thing? Is this something I care about?

I feel that the chief should not do any self-criticism under any circumstances... No matter whether it was right or wrong to attack Xuzhou, he cannot do any self-criticism! He thought that by doing a self-criticism, the people below would be sincerely convinced and admire his magnanimity? In fact, it would only make those soldiers

The leader feels contemptuous! What’s even worse is that if something goes wrong due to drought, those people will take advantage of the situation and blame the leader alone!”

It turned out that due to the drought, Chief Zhang had sincerely reflected on the situation and believed that the battle in Xuzhou should be endured. Langya Banjun did not want it and went directly to Jiangdu to buy Li Wenbai's head, which was enough to fool him, anyway.

The disaster relief opportunity was delayed for more than half a month, and a lot of food was wasted!

Of course, this was just a review based on Zhang Xing's personal values. Most others did not agree with it, but he still insisted on issuing an internal review and admitted the mistakes made in the Xuzhou battle.

This matter did not attract other people's attention, especially Chief Zhang's recent majesty. Not only did Xuzhou win a lot of whale bones, but at the beginning of this month, after he returned from Hebei, he only sent a letter to Xue Changxiong.

This put the general out of his mind to "tease the thief queen" for Jiangdu, and went back to the river to look at the whale bones.

What's even more exaggerated is that when General Nancheng, who was far away on the river bank, heard that Zhang Xing had become the chief, he immediately raised troops. Across Huaixi, he respected Chief Zhang as his superior and sent all his sons!

Even people from the south of the Yangtze River have come recently, and people from the north have come to congratulate them. It seems that the Breaking Wave Saber in northern Shanxi also has a letter of surrender.

Under such power, some strategic review naturally did not cause any waves of authority, but Chen Bin was extremely dissatisfied with it.

"It's still the same old thing, the battle between power and virtue." Xie Minghe thought for a moment and continued to laugh while holding up his glass. "Power has quick effects, virtue has deep effects, power is easy to win, and virtue can withstand defeat. It's pointless to fight over and over again.

.Anyway, although our chief prefers those who are virtuous and virtuous, he often ignores everything when he encounters opportunities to establish his authority. He has both authority and virtue... You don’t need to think too much."

"In today's troubled times, you have to establish your prestige if you want to. Unless you are too busy, you won't be able to build any virtue." Chen Bin, the housekeeper sitting opposite, frowned and answered, but he just looked out the window, where cicadas were chirping and insects were chirping.

The sound continued, and the city, field, barracks, and market were mixed. "This is my always-held opinion."

"If that's the case, why didn't you stop me?" Xie Minghe asked in surprise after finishing his drink. "Instead, you only come to me to complain? The way you have been since you joined the gang, no matter what the outcome is, you will always make a statement.

, rather than being silent on the surface and showing off in private.”

"I'm not hiding anything from you." Chen Bin was silent for a moment, and finally said the key point. "Because my heart is in a mess, or in other words, I came to find you today, but I don't know how to speak, so I can only talk about what happened just now.

rise……"

"Didn't you ask me to drink with you because of this?" Xie Minghe was even more surprised. Just as he was about to say more, he suddenly thought of something and suddenly woke up. "You must be tempted, right?"

"Sure enough, I also asked you to tell me?" Chen Bin asked calmly.

"I am in charge of foreign affairs. The person from Jiangnan came to see me first, and then I made the report. Then he asked me what I meant on the spot." Xie Minghe was even more helpless. "I just never expected that I was not tempted, but instead

You are actually tempted... Mr. Chen, I can be tempted, but how can you be tempted?"

"Because my surname is Chen?" Chen Bin still said sarcastically. "It's easy to be tabooed if you go to Jiangnan to start a business?"

"No." Xie Minghe was speechless. "It's you who have done a great job here... Let me ask you one thing. If Zhang Sanlang really becomes a big deal in the future, will it be you, Manager Chen, who has a higher position, or Zhou Xingfan?"
To be continued...