After being exiled, I led my whole family to rebel.

Chapter 274 The steps are a bit big

Jiang Chaoping's thoughts flew to nowhere, and suddenly he heard Xu Zhenying reciting a poem as if looking at the battle report in Sanping County: "People die during the day, don't ask about the number, the sun is bleak and gloomy clouds protect... The three of them walked less than ten steps, and two people died suddenly. Road. Dead people dare not cry at night, and the ghosts breathe out and the lamp flickers green... The wind blows for a moment, and the lamp disappears. The corpses of dead people are scattered all over the house, and the human bones are gradually blown away by the wind. , the underworld turns into rejuvenating rain!”

Then, Jiang Chaoping was shocked to find that Xu Zhenying seemed to be crying!
The city lord... cried!
Not only Jiang Chaoping, but Qu Min on one side was also shocked.

They have never seen the city lord cry!
Xu Zhenying is well-known as an iron man. There are even rumors that she only loves to deal with government affairs and is a cold-blooded and ruthless government madman.

Has anyone ever seen her shed tears?
But Xu Zhenying's eyes were red, and crystal clear tears flowed down, falling on the battle report of Sanping County.

The people below were instantly helpless!
Nowadays, almost all of Xu Zhenying's people have been sent to various places, and the only ones left in Xingyuan Mansion are Lian Shi, Zhao Qiaonian, Mr. Lin, Sun Qingchen, Feng'er, Qi Er and others.

No one dared to ask, only Mr. Lin took advantage of his old age to speak first: "City Lord, is the situation in the west not good?"

Xu Zhenying raised his eyes, with a bitter look on his face, "Lu Fei sent people deep into the territory of King Zhoushan to the west. The plague was rampant there, and the number of deaths was estimated to be no less than 400,000. Wherever they went, almost no one survived, and the roads were full of There was no time to clean up the carcasses. He said...the wild dogs in the west are fatter than those elsewhere."

After Xu Zhenying finished speaking, he sighed quietly: "Thousands of villages have left their dead bodies, and thousands of households have ghosts singing. May I ask where Lord Plague wants to go? Paper boats are burning with candles shining in the sky."

Elder Lin was a little shocked, "The city lord is mourning for the disciples of King Zhoushan?"

Mr. Lin originally wanted to say Xu Zhenying’s kindness as a woman! But after these two months of contact, he knew Xu Zhenying's nature well.

Xu Zhenying is a person who truly cares about the world!

Her kindness and great love truly transcend identity, position, and rank. She is truly a benevolent queen through the ages!
"They are all innocent people. They finally came to this world, but now they have left nothing behind and died quietly. There are even tens of thousands of children here. Even if we are enemies, But I still feel worthless for them. It is so difficult for the people at the bottom to survive. They are the most diligent and kind-hearted, but also the weakest beings. The vast land of the Zhou Dynasty cannot even accommodate people as humble as ants-"

Everyone present was deeply moved.

In the past, they only knew how to conquer cities and territories, and always deliberately ignored the pain of the people. However, they often accompanied Xu Zhenying, and under the influence of their ears and eyes, most of them still agreed with Xu Zhenying's military strategy of surrendering and attacking.

Jinzhou Prefecture has always advocated using minimal casualties in exchange for maximum returns.

Among the generals in Jinzhou Prefecture, the fastest promotion was not how many enemies were killed or how many chariots and supplies were captured, but the one who could occupy the city without spending a single soldier.

Elder Lin was moved in his heart, "City Lord, since ancient times, human life has been like a piece of grass, not to mention that we are in a turbulent period now. The words "successful king and defeated bandit" are originally made up of countless bones. One general will succeed and ten thousand bones will wither. Only City Lord Only by unifying the world as soon as possible can the people be saved from war. "

Xu Zhenying frowned, "I don't know. It's just that this kind of thing must be done step by step."

This was the first time that everyone heard Xu Zhenying express his ambitions in person, and they were all a little excited at the moment.

At present, they have begun to have the ability to compete in the world.

Xu Zhenying quickly adjusted his mood, pointed to the west on the map and said: "According to the information from Lu Fei, the power of the King of Zhoushan has been greatly reduced, and the guards of various cities are lax. This is the best time for us to wipe out the west. Although I didn't think We cannot expand at such a rapid pace, but when opportunities come, we must seize them.”

Fang Xun was worried, "This expansion is too fast, and I'm worried that the logistics can't keep up. What's more, we already have six cities, which are already a thorn in the side of the imperial court. If we continue to expand at this rate, it will not only be a logistics problem, but also It’s also about our ability to completely digest these cities.”

Ming Xiaoshuang also said: "If we go further to the west, I am afraid that the imperial court will immediately join forces with the prince to the east to attack us."

Feng'er disagreed, "The so-called wealth gained from danger is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Didn't we mean to take advantage of his illness to kill him? If the King of Zhoushan recovers and we want to expand to the west, it will not be easy. "

Mr. Lin's heart always trembles every time he hears them say the words "kill him while he is sick".

It sounds so vicious!

But he seems to really like it!
Qi Er never dared to speak when attending such meetings. She sat in the corner and listened intently.

She was well aware of the gap between herself and their group, so she studied quietly at first. At the same time, her family spent a lot of money to hire two or three teachers from Jinzhou Prefecture, and she has been crazily supplementing the teaching materials from Jinzhou Prefecture.

Even Qi's father and Qi's mother were not spared.

She was stunned and grabbed the two of them to study together.

Just pass this civil service examination.

Only if she has both of them can she seriously enter the official career.

Until then, this room was the only place where she could talk.

Sun Qingchen said: "It is only a matter of time before the imperial court comes to attack us, but this opportunity is rare in a hundred years. First occupy the city, and then digest it step by step. Furthermore, the people in the west are leaderless, and they don't know what they are doing." Today, the city lord is famous, maybe they are still looking forward to us going. "

Mr. Lin also said: "I also agree with what Mr. Sun said. The city lord, that is, we are the ones who advocate refined government management. In the Zhou Dynasty, they never considered this and only attacked the city first. We can also do the same Let’s follow suit! Let’s capture the city first! What’s more, the king of Zhoushan is not a good person, and the people under his rule are miserable. In order to save the people in the west, we should go west.”

Feng'er also responded: "This is a process of ebb and flow. We are now afraid that the Great Zhou Dynasty will come to attack us, but how do we know that the Great Zhou Dynasty will not be afraid of us? If we go westward, descend westward in one breath, and advance with great success all the way, at least we can If we take over a few more cities, it’s not certain who will be strong at that time!”

These words made the generals present feel a little excited.

Yes, if they continue to travel westward, they will own one-third of the territory of the Zhou Dynasty, which means that they will truly rule the southwest.

By then, who would dare to underestimate them?
However, the only thing that worries me is that their expansion rate this year is really scary!
It has only been a year, and they have taken over four cities in a row. As Fang Xun said, logistics is indeed a big problem.

Military pay, military supplies, military rations, and the number of soldiers are all big problems!

Not to mention that Jinzhou Prefecture has only been around for more than a year and its foundation is not stable. Although the people share the same hatred with them, such a large-scale war is also a big burden for the people.

People also need to cultivate their health and live a stable life.

It's just that everyone knows their opinions, Xu Zhenying has always just listened to them. The city lord is a talented person whose ideas far exceed the limitations of this era, and everyone is willing to follow her lead.

Sure enough, Xu Zhenying made a decision quickly.

"The opportunity must never come again. Since God has given us the opportunity, we cannot let down God's good will."

Having said this, everyone immediately took out the booklets and pencils they carried with them.

They all knew that Xu Zhenying was going to give orders and make arrangements.

Gotta write it down on paper.

Because Xu Zhenying's thinking speed is very fast, it is difficult to keep up without relying on bad writing.

Mr. Lin is not used to such scenes every time.

As soon as Xu Zhenying spoke at the critical moment, everyone lowered their heads and started writing in the booklet.

He just squinted his eyes and listened with concentration.

"I think we can go west. Firstly, it is to end the turbulent lives of the people in the west. Secondly, it is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. For logistical supplies, we can only think of ways as we go."

Fang Xun immediately asked: "What about the recruitment of civil servants? Our expansion speed is too fast. In some places, we have just conquered and have not yet had time to carry out comprehensive education. As a result, the local people do not have the ability to participate in the civil servant assessment. They are also unfair. Now some people have complained that this time the civil service examination will be dominated by people from Lan County. We must prevent people from Lan County from clumping together in the officialdom, and we must also let the local people know their own place. The situation of local officials increases their cohesion. "This time the official assessment is not limited to Lan County. Both Jinzhou Prefecture and Qianzhou Prefecture have implemented universal education for a long time. Let's average it out."

Sun Qingchen immediately handed over his hands and said: "City Lord, we have conquered so many towns now. In fact, we can continue to serve as local officials. In this way, we will not encounter too much resistance if we attack cities and seize territory in the future. Especially local officials, if they know them If you can still keep your glory and wealth, you will definitely not fight to the death.”

I don’t know if these words are based on Sun Qingchen’s experience.

"Master Sun is very right." Xu Zhenying nodded, "It's just that we have to be careful. We can't keep those with criminal records and bad reputations. If they are good officials, they can stay in their posts temporarily and then limit them to a certain period of time. Let him compulsorily participate in the next civil servant assessment, and he will be officially retained in office only after he passes the exam. Our method for assessing and promoting civil servants must be clear, especially the people's vote at the end of the year, which must be taken into consideration. "

Mr. Lin also sighed: "In this way, it can be regarded as a way to ease the local employment."

The first time Mr. Lin heard Xu Zhenying mention the "top leader takes full responsibility" system, he couldn't help but his eyes lit up.

Especially when Xu Zhenying called them together to jointly revise the official evaluation method some time ago, he actually decided to conduct a people's satisfaction survey every three years. He knew that Xu Zhenying was a real person who did practical things!

This matter was unthinkable in the Zhou Dynasty.

When it comes to voting, who among the ordinary people can read it?
But things are different in the southwest. As soon as universal education is promoted, if you don’t know the Chinese characters, don’t you still know the pinyin?

What's more, the officials under Xu Zhenying are well-paid, but the management is extremely strict. There are several channels for complaints and reports. Not only does it have a specialized Information and Inspection Office, a Supervision Department to collect intelligence, but also has hidden lines in various places. She even went out incognito from time to time.

After this combination of punches, who among the officials in Jinzhou Prefecture can do better than walking on thin ice? Who dares not to cherish feathers? Who is willing to give up his bright future for the benefit of three melons and two dates?
Fang Wen's expression softened slightly, otherwise he would really be ready to hit the wall.

There are so many counties and cities waiting to hire people! Everyone is reaching out to him to ask for people. How can he convert so many people?
"Qu Min, after the meeting, you should send a letter to Liu Dazhuang and others, asking them to lead their people to the west. There is no need to attack by force. As long as the city is under-defended, we should first plant our flag. Now the King of Zhoushan cannot protect himself, and I am afraid that he will not be able to do so for the time being. He can only swallow the urge to start a war with us. By the time he recovers, these places have become our cities."

"Fang Xun, please contact the medical school. I am afraid that the most lacking thing in the west now is the cowpox vaccine. Let them hurry up and make it. The more, the better. With the cowpox vaccine, we can win over the people in the west."

Qu Min immediately recorded it.

Elder Lin reminded: "If it is true that what General Lu said is true, and nine out of ten houses in the west are empty, and most of the people are dead, then what we receive is just a wasteland. City Lord, the land needs popularity, and the development of the city also needs population, we Where do you find so many people?”

"This is easy to do. Post a hero post. Anyone who is willing to settle in my land to the west of Xu Zhenying will be given five acres of land free of charge once their household registration is registered, and no land tax will be collected in the first year. Some children under ten years old have come to join us. Yes, a one-time subsidy of 500 yuan for each child, regardless of gender.”

Mr. Lin disagreed, "City Lord, think twice. If this is the case, many people will come from far away to seek refuge. Those with children will also lie about their age in order to receive this subsidy."

Xu Zhenying laughed, "I originally hoped that they would come and join us. When they see that we have such a huge advantage, they will naturally consider moving their whole family. I just want them to feel that we have pie in the sky."

Elder Lin looked ashamed, "The city lord is far-sighted and far-sighted, beyond our reach."

But Xu Zhenying smiled: "It's not that he is far-sighted. It's just that Mr. Lin may have never heard of a saying that since ancient times, true love cannot be retained, and only tricks can win people's hearts."

Mr. Lin frowned slightly, seemingly puzzled.

The old people in the Xu family's political affairs team on one side all smiled understandingly.

Feng'er said, "Are we poaching the Zhou Dynasty? In this way, we have completely angered the Zhou Dynasty."

"It's a matter of time." Xu Zhenying sighed, and then he thought of something, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly, "But, we can keep them busy so they don't have time to hit us."

Everyone in the room looked at Xu Zhenying.

"Didn't Prince Ming rebel on the pretext of avenging his fiancée? We might as well spread the news that the Fang family is alive, so that Prince Ming can't get off." Xu Zhenying turned to look at Fang Xun, "But this matter involves the entire Fang family, you Do you want to go back and ask your grandfather for his opinion?"

Fang Xun shook his head, "Grandpa has been ignoring worldly affairs for a long time."

"Once this matter is made public, your family may be in danger."

"City Lord, our Fang family has rebelled with you, are we still afraid of danger?" Fang Xun smiled bitterly, "But it's okay, anyway, Zhou Heng is unkind and unjust. He used our Fang family as a raft, so that my cousin was scolded for causing harm to the country and the people. We have endured this for a long time. Now it is time for the whole world to know who Zhou Heng is. He did not hesitate to kill his own family and fiancée in order to gain a reputation as a rebel. Our Fang family will not bear the crime of causing trouble to the world. !”

Mr. Lin was slightly stunned.

Fang family?

His eyelids twitched, God, could it be the old man Fang, the two-term imperial master who was sentenced to exile the year before last?
Is this Fang Xun... the grandson of Mr. Fang?

Mr. Lin only felt his eyes darken. Good guy, no wonder he always felt that Fang Xun looked vaguely familiar before, but he really couldn't remember where he had seen him before. Is the co-author the grandson of his old friend?

No wonder this child, with his calm demeanor and measured behavior, seems to be more stable than most people in Jinzhou Prefecture.

Regardless of Xu Zhenying's presence, Mr. Lin immediately grabbed Fang Xun's hand with some excitement and asked, "Son, is your grandfather Mr. Fang, the two former Tutors?"

Fang Xun was a little embarrassed: "Exactly. However, my grandfather is in poor health now and is recuperating in Jinzhou Mansion."

"Okay! Okay! That's great!" Mr. Lin laughed with rare joy, "I thought I was the only one in the entire Zhou Dynasty who escaped, but I didn't expect that your Fang family was very discerning and was the first to follow. City Lord! Okay, when I get to Jinzhou Mansion, I will definitely go and catch up with your old man!"

As for what happened between Fang Ruyu and Zhou Heng, Mr. Lin naturally couldn't ask in front of so many people.

Xu Zhenying continued: "Since the Fang family doesn't mind, let's take this opportunity to clear the Fang family's charges. This will prevent the blame being placed entirely on your heads in the future."

Xu Zhenying spoke rudely, and everyone in the room was surprised.

Mr. Lin immediately understood Xu Zhenying's thinking, "City Lord, over in Bianjing City, although the Supreme Emperor and the Emperor are father and son, one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. The two people often have different political opinions. We can sow discord appropriately. Naturally, the two of them will Fight."

Xu Zhenying smiled: "Mr. Lin's idea is a good one! After our westward march this time, it will take time to develop and grow. It is best not to have any more wars in the short term, so we need the enemies to be busy with themselves. Let's muddy the waters first, and they will also No time to deal with us."

Everyone in the room nodded in agreement.

Yes, only by disrupting the opponent's footsteps will they have no energy to deal with them.

What Jinzhou Prefecture needs most now is to calm down the war and allow the people to rest and recuperate.

Fang Xun asked about the most important thing, "City Lord, you are of high status. Xingyuan Mansion is too close to the Zhou Dynasty and is not suitable to be our administrative center."

"I know. I have also been thinking about it recently. Jinzhou Prefecture is relatively safe in the hinterland of our range. It is also close to various prefectures and the news will be the fastest. Okay, then get ready and we will go back Jinzhou Mansion.”

Everyone in the room obviously cheered, and then Xu Zhenying found that everyone around him seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Xu Zhenying frowned and asked Ming Xiaoshuang and Feng'er, both of whom just smiled and remained silent.

"That's strange. Why are you so hesitant?"

Lin Laoyi stroked his beard and said with a smile: "They young people dare not say it because they are afraid that the city lord will blame them. I am old and I am not afraid."

Xu Zhenying looked at him.

"City Lord, everyone wants to ask, are you considering becoming king?"