Crowned the New Han Dynasty

Chapter 420 There Are Five of the Four Great Families

Noticing Chen Zhi's look, Lu Dao was cautious, thought for a moment, and then said: "In the border areas, due to the war and the Hu tribe's movement south, many people left their homes and left a lot of land. Since General Wang ran Youzhou, Land occupation laws have been promulgated many times, and now most of the land in Youzhou has its owners again. Most of the farms and land in Daijun are in the hands of a few big families. Most of the people farming in Wubao are tenants and tribes. .”

Lu Dao was hesitant about these words, but in the end he told them truthfully. In his opinion, Chen Zhi is also a descendant of an aristocratic family. The Chen family in Pengcheng must have a lot of land in their hometown of Pengcheng. Even if they don't understand this situation, they certainly don't. will object.

"Wubao has an owner, and the people inside are helping them farm the land..." Chen Zhi sighed with emotion, and his expression changed slightly.

Tasting Chen Zhi's tone, Lu Dao noticed something unusual and added: "Not entirely. If it weren't for the Wubao run by several aristocratic families, I don't know how many people in this county would have been plundered by the barbarians."

Chen Zhi didn't dwell on this issue, and simply asked: "Since Wubao has an owner, the land in it is cultivated by tenant farmers. I'm afraid the land rent is not light."

Lu Tao assessed Chen Zhi's thoughts and said vaguely: "Actually, it's not too much. It's only [-]-[-]% more than the ordinary Central Plains masters. Besides, to maintain Wubao and protect the people, it's indispensable. Servant militia, several aristocratic families have more than one Wubao village. The troops are scattered. It is not a small expense to maintain so many servants. Charging more land rent is also to make the people more healthy and not be threatened by barbarians. .”

When he said this, he looked up at Chen Zhi and saw that the other person's expression was somewhat intriguing. He suddenly added: "Many dock owners are kind-hearted. Didn't Mr. Chen just ask why there are ordinary people in Wubao?" Farming outside, in fact, most of the land outside Wubao is owned by aristocratic families. The reason why farmers are attracted to farming is because of the kindness of those Wubao owners. The land rent outside Wubao is reduced by half compared to inside Wubao. It makes people flock to it.”

"The land outside actually has land rent? Does it also belong to those aristocratic families?" When Chen Zhi heard this, he just nodded on the surface, but he couldn't help but become vigilant in his heart. He was vaguely aware of the danger lurking in Dai County. The land annexation here, I'm afraid it has reached a warning level.

The appearance of Wubao is for safety, but farmers would rather go out to farm than stay in it. What should be the situation inside?
Thinking of this, although there are still many details missing, Chen Zhi's vigilant and repulsive attitude towards the people is somewhat understandable.

"I'm afraid that around Dai County, and even in the entire Dai County, the government was heavily involved in the process of dividing the Wubao land, and may even be colluding with the aristocratic family. This Lu Dao is an official. His family roots are in Jizhou, not Youzhou, no matter how far away they are. Even though we are close, we won’t protect the family here unless there are interests involved.”

The interests of the officialdom are like a net, and each official is a buckle in the net. A single move can affect the whole body. If one party is touched even slightly, the entire officialdom may become vigilant. Therefore, Chen Zhi suppressed his thoughts and stopped asking questions. Prepare to peel off the cocoon in the future.

Just at this moment, a group of people came up to meet him. The leader was about forty years old, with high crowns and belts and extraordinary clothes. Behind him were Kong Wu's powerful warriors, who saluted Chen Zhi with a smile on his face.

"I've met the prefect! I'm Tang Yun, the master of Jieshan Fort. I've come here specially to greet you." The leader said with a smile and invited Chen Zhi and others to enter the fort.

"Another one named Tang." Chen Zhi remained calm on the surface and followed the people into the fort, but he was secretly thinking about it. This time he went out and passed three forts and two manors. He saw the owner and owner of the manor. There are two people named Tang, one named Zheng, one named Liu, and one named Wang.

"It is said that there are four major families in Daijun, ranked Zhu, Wang, Zheng, and Tang. They are old and powerful families. Many of them are officials, and there are not a few who are central. A rising family has rapidly expanded in power, such as the Liu family supported by the land area."

Here, Tang Yun led Chen Zhi and others into the fort, while the intelligence reported by Su Liao flashed through Chen Zhi's mind.

This staff member of his had served at Chen Yong's side, and his professional skills had passed the test. He still had contacts in the imperial servant's mansion. He had done his homework before going north. After arriving in Dai County, although he was also affected by the situation, he still paid attention to the details. Therefore, as soon as the matter is over, the compiled information can be presented.

"According to Su Liao's introduction, the Zhu family of Daijun is a branch of the Zhu family of Jiangzuo. With the Xuanwu unification of the North 30 years ago, several members of the Zhu family stayed in the north and left this branch. Thanks to the Zhu family's influence in the north, Jiangzuo's stable management, deep connections and influence in the court, and the development of the Zhu family in Daijun are considered smooth and stable. With the support of the family, they have steadily improved. In more than 30 years, two generations have managed it, and now it is the third generation. Three generations have risen slowly, and the tree has grown deep, ranking first in Dai County; "

"The Wang family of Daijun is a branch of the Wang family in Taiyuan. It is not far from Bingzhou. The Wang family regards it as one of the directions of expansion. Therefore, the power of the Wang family of Daijun is not small. They support each other and expand rapidly. Over a long period of time, For a period of time, the Daijun Wang family was the head of the Daijun family. In the past two years, due to the rise of the Xiongnu, the Taiyuan Wang family encountered difficulties and had no time to take care of these small clans. As a result, the Daijun Wang family's ranking dropped a lot. The high profile before the restoration allowed the Zhu family to win the first place;"

"As for the Zheng family, it is a family born and raised in Daijun. It started in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and has begun to show its prominence after more than a hundred years of development. However, there are rumors that the ancestors of this family actually changed their surnames to Hu people. The Zheng family will not admit it. They have also vigorously suppressed related speeches, but the results were self-defeating and spread more and more widely. In recent years, the Zheng family has ignored it, and this kind of statement has gradually subsided."

"As for the Tang family, it is said that they are a local aristocratic family, but they are good at merchants. They are a family that has risen in the past 20 years. Their foundation is slightly less than the other families, and they are often suppressed. Before Lu District was the governor, the Tang family was the entry point. It shocked everyone in Dai County and established their authority. His family tried to resist afterwards, but was suppressed repeatedly. They have not recovered their strength yet. However, in the later period of Lu District's rule, the Tang family has learned the lesson and behaved in a low-key manner. I learned to be ingratiating, and before Lu District left, there was already a slight improvement."

Chen Zhi turned over the information in his mind, while on the surface he was communicating politely with Tang Yun, talking in a non-nutritious manner, and listening to the other party's introduction to various features and matters in Wubao.

In and out of his words, this man flaunted his Tang family's loyalty to the court and the county governor, as well as his good local management, which relieved many people from worries. "When the Xiongnu came, my brother Tang Dian immediately made arrangements for us to be ready. The layout and arrangements in the Wubao were all my brother's painstaking efforts. As soon as the order was given, everyone got busy inside and outside, and soon everything was going to be done. Things were arranged well, so there was very little damage. Except for me, several villages in the Tang family suffered almost no damage due to my brother."

Tang Yun looked like he was introducing them with all his heart. When he pointed at several fortifications, he mentioned his brother, and his words were full of admiration and praise.

Chen Zhi understood what he meant, and after asking a few words, he said to Lu: "I remember Tang Dian, he seems to have served as a captain, right?"

Lu Dao secretly complained that Tang Yun was meddlesome, but he had to nod in response: "Yes, the prefect has a really good memory. He just read the roster once and wrote it down. Tang Dian was once a captain, and he also made great achievements." Of course he knew that Tang Dian had a good memory. The family has always been eager to change the decline and reverse the current situation, but has been blocked by other companies and has achieved little success. If they can bet on the new governor, it is undoubtedly an ideal choice.

"According to Tang Yun's introduction, he arranged all the defense matters inside and outside Wubao. It seems that this Tang Dian is somewhat capable, huh." Chen Zhi continued talking, making Tang Yun look happy. .

Tang Yunzheng wanted to continue his efforts, so he glanced at Tianshi and said, "Prefect, it's already late now. How about you have lunch at my place before going back? I'll let you..."

"No need, there are still guests from the Tuoba tribe in the city, and the prefect wants to go over and entertain them." Lu Dao didn't want Tang Yun to say anything more to prevent extraneous matters, so he interrupted in advance, and Chen Zhi nodded.

Tang Yun said with regret on his face: "What a pity. I can only wait until another time to host a banquet to invite you, the prefect. If the prefect is free, you can come to my Tang house at any time. I will sweep the couches up and down the house to welcome you."

As these words fell, the entire trip came to an end. Chen Zhi led everyone to say goodbye and left the Wubao. Walking on the road, Chen Zhi asked seemingly unintentionally: "This Wubao is called Jieshan Fort, but I Seeing as there are no mountains nearby, how did it get its name?”

Lu Dao also shook his head and said, "This low-ranking official doesn't know much about it."

Suddenly, a person behind him said: "This subordinate knows a thing or two."

Lu Tao turned around and saw that it was his chief clerk, Liu Guang. He nodded and said, "Well, Liu Guang, please tell me."

Liu Guanggong raised his hand and bowed to Chen Zhi first, and then explained the reason.

"The prefect and county magistrate, you two did not go deep into the fort just now, so you didn't miss it. In fact, this fort was built on a small hill, which is the original Jieshan Mountain, but it is not steep. It was originally Xiejia Village's use of the terrain to resist. Those belonging to thieves and bandits will become manors over time, and when the Tang family takes over, they will develop into Wubao."

"So that's how it is," Chen Zhi nodded, and praised Lu Tao, "You are a master who is well-known."

Lu Xiao said with a smile: "Liu Guang was born in the Liu family of Dai County, and he is particularly familiar with Dai County, especially the affairs inside and outside Dai County."

Chen Zhi glanced at Liu Guang, nodded, and some records and information about the Liu family flashed in his mind.

The Liu family in Dai County is also a wealthy family. In recent years, it has been called the fifth largest family after the four major families. Its influence gradually radiates from Dai County to the entire Dai County. It is also a local wealthy family that cannot be ignored. Many people from out of town, for unknown reasons, often mistakenly include the Liu family among the four major families in Dai County, jokingly saying that there are five of the four major families.

These wealthy families were the ones Chen Zhi focused on getting to know, and if he wanted to govern the place, he would inevitably have to deal with them.

　Thanks to "The Past on the Strings", "Not a Smiling Xiaoxiao", "LI Strovsky" and "Star Dragon Shadow" for the rewards!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)