The new year finally came with the crackling of firecrackers. Unlike the four northern counties that were shrouded in haze and fear, Zhengyang County was filled with festive atmosphere. The streets and alleys were covered with red and green. Although it was early morning, the crowds were still flowing on the brightly lit streets. From time to time, naughty boys would throw pieces of bamboo into the burning fire. The sudden bursting sound often scared the people passing by, and then caused bursts of joyful laughter.

Zhengyang County was lucky. During the years of war in Yuedi, they were basically not affected. He was the largest granary of Qianyue, and the richest place in Qianyue except the capital of Yuedi. Of course, it was also the most tightly defended. The only time they were affected by the war was a few years ago when the Shuntian Army annihilated the Hu Ben Army led by Zhang Ning's son and attacked Zhengyang County.

However, the Shuntian Army at that time did not invade a large-scale invasion just to restrain the Yue team. Later, with the defeat of the Shuntian Army, several counties occupied by the Shuntian Army fell into the hands of the Taiping Army. It was not until the Taiping Army launched a large-scale attack on the Yue Kingdom that Zhengyang County felt the threat of war for the first time.

But this time, the war was about to start and end, and soon disappeared. The county soldiers led by Xu Jie, the Minister of War of the Court, and the temporary civilian army organized by the imperial army turned against each other in the face of the powerful offensive of the Taiping Army, causing Zhengyang County to fall into the hands of the Taiping Army without any bloodshed.

This was unfortunate for the Xu family in Zhengyang County. The largest clan of Zhengyang declined and failed to recover. The Taiping Army that occupied Zhengyang County settled the accounts and confiscated all the property of Xu family. However, for the people of Zhengyang County, this was lucky because they did not suffer the poison of the war in the end. The rapid support of Zhengyang County caused its economy and people's livelihood to basically not suffer much loss.

For the Ming Dynasty, it was lucky. Because a Zhengyang County, which was intact and not suffered much loss, would continuously provide food, making the capital of the capital as stable as a mountain, and the financial income of the national treasury did not greatly affect it. But for the Ming Dynasty, it was also unfortunate. Zhengyang County surrendered quickly, and the old nobles and gentry turned to change a master, but they still occupied the top group of people in Zhengyang County. If the Ming Dynasty wanted to be stable, they had to win over them, but the result of winning over them was half good or bad. A series of movements carried out vigorously in other parts of the Ming Dynasty, in Zhengyang County, it was like a small stone seed and still entered the sea. After a few small bubbles, there was no sound again.

For example, the reform of the administration, the issuance of new currencies.

The court encountered not open resistance in Zhengyang County, but secret obstruction. The officials who were ordered to come to Zhengyang County soon discovered that no matter how high their enthusiasm was, they could not resist the sticky mud under their feet, and they could not move forward. Zhengyang County had been invisible for many years, and had worn away the passion of the new policy bit by bit. Any decree, when it arrived at the most ordinary people layer by layer, would become no different from before. The masters in the yamen were good at using various words to turn all of this into invisible, and could not find any problem with the superiors.

It seems that all laws have been promulgated, but none of them can be implemented and changed.

The Yue Kingdom was destroyed and the Ming Dynasty rose. But Zhengyang County was still Zhengyang County. The ones who ruled Zhengyang County in the past were still the same group of people. Of course, their heads changed. In the past, they were Xu, but now they have become Li.

Li Wei is the head of the largest family in Zhengyang County.

Li was the second in Zhengyang County, second only to Xu. After this war, Li Wei's turnaround on the battlefield brought him generous rewards. Xu fell, and Li took advantage of the situation. After the election, the civilian army he led during the war still left three thousand and was incorporated into the regular field army of the Ming Dynasty. Li Wei was the commander of this army.

The Li family was in the limelight in Zhengyang County, and it was unparalleled for a while.

"Brother Li, this year has been really shocking. It's been involved in the sky and the earth. Now I think about it, I still feel like thinking about it. If you miss it, you will never get rid of it!" Liao Hui sighed and said, "Yesterday, I went to the south of the city and occasionally saw Xu Jie, a farmer, squeezed into a house with air leakage. There was not even a grain of surplus at home. Not to mention the New Year, it's hard to say whether I can survive this winter. Looking pitiful, I gave them dozens of taels of silver. Old Mrs. Xu used to be so arrogant. She actually kowtowed to me and thanked me. Oh my, I can't see, I can't see."

"Brother Liao, your soft-hearted problem is not good." Li Wei curled his lips, "Xu Jie went against the trend and almost implicated us. The Taiping Army is going to cause trouble for them. Don't get in and make you fishy."

Liao Hui smiled and said, "Brother Li, let me forgive you if you have to. How can the court still remember Xu Jie now? They have come step by step, so you must be the one who will fuel the fire. I know how much the Xu family offended you in the past, but now they are like this, why bother?"

Li Wei sneered: "Brother Liao is teaching me a lesson?"

"No, no!" Liao Hui waved his hands repeatedly, "I just said it casually. They have fallen into the mud pit now, so there is no need to step on it, so there is no need to dirty the boots."

"I can change my boots after I get dirty!" Li Wei snorted: "Xu used to bully me many times because of someone in the court. Do you still remember the fact that I asked my son to marry his two daughters five years ago? Haha, that humiliation will be unforgettable for me. It also made me realize that money alone is not enough, you have to have power and status."

Liao Hui smiled. "That's right. He will naturally have money, but he may not necessarily have power!"

"I'll go find the old lady Xu. Are they unable to survive? Hehe, I asked them to sell Xu Ruping to my maid. I will definitely give him more money, even if he asks for a thousand taels, I will give it to him."

"Why do you have to?" Liao Hui's face changed slightly.

"I just want them to taste the taste of being humiliated. I will give it back to them ten times a hundred times what they gave me." Li Wei laughed: "Brother Liao, it's the New Year, why do we talk about these disappointing things? Today I come to you, and I mainly want to discuss some things with you."

"I'm just about to find you," Liao Hui said: "The issuance of new coins is already unstoppable. Brother, I, the county magistrate, can't stand it anymore. This time, Su Kairong and his son created a ranking of promoting new coins in various counties. Zhengyang County was the last, which was worse than those remote county governors. When I heard the news, the emperor slapped the table and the Thunder was furious. Heard that after the New Year, the Ming Bank and the Ministry of Revenue would send people down."

"What can we do if the people don't like to use it?" Li Wei smiled and said, "Brother Liao is worried about this? You have done everything you should do!"

Liao Hui smiled bitterly without saying a word.

"Wang Yueyao from the Commerce Department also issued an official document. She ignored me and directly found the merchants associated with the Commerce Department. You have not come back from the front line before, but they have found me where I am. Wang Yueyao was pressing tightly and said that there is no progress. They will cut their quota and dilute their shares next year. This is a real threat." Liao Hui said.

"Wang Yueyao, a female person, is cruel and ruthless." Li Wei snorted coldly: "The emperor is really crazy. He actually came up with this idea to plunder our wealth. Others don't understand it. I, Li Wei, still understand a little bit. Let me exchange real gold and silver for those colorful papers. It's really outrageous."

"It seems that it is not a solution. We can't delay long after changing officials, taking officials as officials, and reforming the official selection system." Liao Hui said. "After the Chinese New Year, Wang Hou will come to Zhengyang County in person. I don't have the courage to play tricks with this old man. He is a master and can't beat him any tricks."

"You can start to take the initiative by taking officials as soon as you become an official, but Brother Liao must take the initiative. As long as the person is still those, Zhengyang County will still be ours. As for the re-electing officials and being elected as a scientific examination, haha, can those mud-legged people still pass the children of our families? What is important is what to take? Brother Liao, just put your thoughts on this."

"I think so too."

"Actually, these are not important. What is important is that our Zhengyang County is going to be united." Li Wei said: "Zhengyang County was the first granary of Dayue in the past, and now it is also the first granary of Daming. It can be said that if Zhengyang is not stable, Yuejing will inevitably be unstable. We have some colds here, and Yuejing will inevitably have to cough. So, even if the court is dissatisfied with us, it is still afraid of rats and dare not do anything randomly. Look at Shunping County, something big has happened, and Tian Zhen ran away, caught and killed and injured. Do we dare here? But Brother Liao, if we are not united, then we will just wait for someone to cut off the flesh bit by bit. You must explain this to those people, especially some people with unstable will. As long as we work together, let alone Wang Hou, what can we do if the emperor comes?"

"Brother Li, be careful!" Liao Hui waved his hand in a panic. "Your Majesty's power is not something we can imagine."

"Hey, in the secret room, you are still afraid that someone will listen." Li Wei said disdainfully. "Brother Liao, I am always on the front line. You are stationed in the county. You have to resist here. Give what should be given, and don't retreat at all. Take a step back today and you will have to retreat step by step in the future."

"Hard-heading is not a solution."

"Of course it's not hard to do it, there are so many ways." Li Wei laughed: "Didn't Su Kairong and his son make such a ranking? You might as well write to the court and ask them to send someone to supervise this matter. We will cooperate with them. Let them learn from the power of the people of Zhengyang County by themselves."

"This is a solution." Liao Hui's eyes lit up.

"When the time comes, they will return home in a defeat. Can we still talk about us?" Li Wei said proudly.
Chapter completed!