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

Chapter 277 Return to the city
The Minister of War had no choice but to stand up and say: "Returning to the Supreme Emperor, the imperial court is now fighting in all directions...the Tatars are fighting in the north, and the Ming Dynasty is fighting in the east. No less than 500,000 troops have been invested in both places. In addition, last year and this year...the treasury is not full. , there is not enough tax money, now it is better to let the people maintain their health..."

The Minister of War said it implicitly, but it made the Supreme Emperor furious, "You mean... you want me to endure this tone and let a generation of women ride on my head and dominate me?!"

Prime Minister Han could only stand up and be a peacemaker, "Your Majesty, please calm down. In fact, Xu Zhenying's eight cities seem to be numerous in number, but in fact they only occupy one."

The Supreme Emperor stared at him, "What do you mean by this?"

"Those three cities in the east were originally the territory occupied by King Ming. The two of them fought dog to dog for those two or three cities. Not only did they consume each other's fighting power, but they also formed a deadly feud. This is very important to us. In other words, there is no harm at all. What's more, those three cities are on the border and in poverty. If we take them back now, we will have to allocate money for disaster relief every year, which will be a huge expense for the emperor. Isn't it a good thing that even one general can't come out, but the two of them can fight?"

The Supreme Emperor was slightly stunned, but his expression obviously softened.

However, other people present looked at Prime Minister Han with some contempt.

This Korean Prime Minister is really eloquent. Whatever the territory of King Ming is, it is the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty!
Moreover, what Prime Minister Han said was too ridiculous.

Yes, Xu Zhenying seems to have only captured Xingyuan Mansion, but she has eight cities and will continue to grow stronger. By then, she will become a monster even more terrifying than King Ming!

"As for the two cities in the west, the plague is rampant there, and the people are almost empty. To be honest, I really don't know what this rebel is thinking, and he even dares to seize the place where there is smallpox. She seizes With these two cities, the medicine money of millions of people in the west is enough to bring her down! Why don't we let her pay some blood first and let her be arrogant for a while. When the war in the north and east ends, we will take back those cities immediately. , there is still a huge amount of medicinal materials left, wouldn’t it kill two birds with one stone? Therefore, I said that Xu Zhenying seemed to have captured six cities, but in fact he only captured one of Xingyuan Mansion!”

Wang Yin's eyelids twitched, feeling surprised and happy in his heart.

Mr. Lin always heard them mention how prosperous Jinzhou Mansion was, so he was also full of curiosity about Jinzhou Mansion.

He remembered that Jinzhou Prefecture was close to the southwest border and was not considered a wealthy state capital. It was considered a lower-middle-class county in terms of taxation in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Wang Yin immediately became cautious about his words and actions, then lowered his voice and asked, "What secret order does the city lord have this time?"

Wang Yin was frightened, "This is to dig into King Ming's corner."

Wang Sanniang's face was filled with uncontrollable joy.

She happily hid the letter in her heart, then found a place where no one was around and read the ten lines carefully before burning it to ashes on the candlelight.

Everyone was happy to return to their place. Although the war was still going on in the west and south, everyone was still eager to return home.

So Mr. Lin took his little baggage and followed Xu Zhenying and others on the road.

The elders in the Xu family's political affairs team felt a little emotional about taking this road again.

Wang Sanniang is quite cautious. After all, they are in the hinterland of King Ming's territory and have to stay out of sight.

"Father, mother, the city lord has occupied Xingyuan Mansion! Instructor Jiang and Zhang Wanjun from the east took over Jiangling Mansion, Bao'an Mansion, and Xiangshui Mansion in one go! General Liu and Qiu Chan from the west advanced all the way, taking advantage of the plague in the west to seize two A city! Now the city lord has eight cities! The number of people under his control is about to reach tens of millions!"

What was shocking was the speed with which Xu Zhenying conquered the city.

Mr. Lin was the first to notice it. He was sitting in the carriage and suddenly felt that the bumps became smaller. The wheels of the carriage were as smooth as walking on the ground, without any bumps at all. The speed was so fast that the horse could hardly pull it.

Wang Sanniang smiled slightly: "Dad, you have to notify all the private salt dealers under you and ask them to help us spread a message!"

It was the time when the spring was warm and the flowers were blooming. The vast team set off from Xingyuan Mansion, crossed the mountains and ridges, and slowly returned to Jinzhou Mansion.

"But Xingyuan Mansion is only two cities away from Bianjing City!" Zhou Mian looked angry, but how much of that anger was true was unknown. "That damn Zhou Cangwu, who has five thousand soldiers, can't even get a single Even the rebels can't resist it! I'm afraid he surrendered to the enemy and cooperated with the outside to open the city gate! When I think of this, my heart aches!"

"Those who are willing to go to the territory west of our city lord will be given five acres of land as long as they settle down, and the first year will be tax-free! As long as they bring their children, regardless of whether they are boys or girls, each child will receive a subsidy of five hundred coins!"

----------------

The court hall was suddenly filled with joy.

Mr. Lin and others also accompanied him.

In just a year or two, they have undergone earth-shaking changes, and Jinzhou Mansion has also undergone earth-shaking changes. How can people not be sad?
Especially when everyone walked from Xingyuan Mansion to the boundary of Jinzhou Mansion, everyone immediately noticed the difference.

The mountains along the way are green, accompanied by wild flowers, and there is a refreshing atmosphere in the mountains.

Fortunately, he made a decision early and defected decisively, and then he caught the eyes of the city lord in time.

Wang Yin listened attentively.

"His wall is already crumbling, so it is only natural that we poach him."

The people below saw that the Supreme Emperor had finally given up the idea of ​​attacking Jinzhou. The Minister of War and the Ministry of Hubu were overjoyed, and they quickly called the Supreme Emperor wise.

Prime Minister Han immediately hit the snake with a stick: "The Supreme Emperor is really worried. Even if he is not a traitor and traitor, the defeat of Jinzhou is always a fact. It is better to kill his whole family, so as to give an explanation to the world!"

Xu Zhenying was very emotional.

One doesn't have to raise money, the other doesn't have to recruit soldiers, everyone is happy.

He has been to Jinzhou Mansion.

Thousands of miles away in Shouzhou, Wang Sanniang received a secret report from Xu Zhenying at her usual place.

Wang Yin was extremely excited and even trembled, "Okay! Okay! Fortunately, I didn't hesitate to defect to the city lord. If the city lord proclaims himself king and emperor, the future of our Wang family will be limitless!"

Just after the Spring Festival, Xu Zhenying took advantage of the fact that spring had just begun, leaving Sun Qingchen in Xingyuan Mansion, while he led a large force back to Jinzhou Mansion.

They had walked this road the year before last, when they were still exiled prisoners. They had just started a soap business with Qi Er and had some spare money, but they were separated by refugees in Jinzhou Mansion and lost their way.

It's not that they are overjoyed. Anyway, what Xu Zhenying is seizing is not their territory now. They are anxious, and I am afraid that King Ming and King Zhoushan are even more anxious!
Only Zhou Chong raised the corners of his lips slightly to hide his sarcastic smile.

But along the way, I always heard them talking about Lan County pigs, universal education, cement roads and so on. In addition, before leaving, Sun Qingchen even boasted about Lan County in Jinzhou Prefecture, which was in the sky and on the earth. He actually blew Mr. Lin. The already restless heart was even more itchy.

Wang Yin also said: "Okay, I'll go and do it right away. I'll make sure people spread this news to the ends of the earth!"

Even Wang Yin, who never pays much attention to government affairs and only helps Xu Zhenying with his private salt business, came over and asked, "Is there any happy event?"

However, Wang Sanniang made a silent gesture: "Dad, be careful what you say! We are now on Prince Ming's territory!"

The Supreme Emperor was so angry that he covered his chest, "Kill the nine tribes! No one in Zhou Cangwu's family can escape!"

Old Lin was so surprised that he jumped off the carriage, and then he saw a straight and smooth official road among the mountains, like a sharp sword, splitting the mountains in half.

The official road is not an ordinary loess road, but as smooth and tender as a bluestone slab. Whether it is a carriage, livestock or people, walking on it is smooth and smooth, and it does not hurt your feet at all!
Everyone couldn't help but cheer: "We finally reached the boundary of Jinzhou Mansion!"

Mr. Lin exclaimed, wishing he could just sit down on the ground and feel the smoothness of the ground. He was surprised and happy, walking back and forth like a child, stepping heavily on the road, "This...this...is this the cement road you are talking about?" Oh my god...this is so smooth!”

Ming Xiaoshuang said with a smile: "What's the matter, Mr. Lin, we didn't lie to you, did we? This cement road is really as smooth as a bronze mirror, right?"

Mr. Lin couldn't help but stretched out his hand to touch the ground back and forth, with a look of excitement on his face, "I, Lin Han, have never seen such a magical object in my life! This...how much does it cost? Can it be used for other purposes?"

"The cost is very low. A few taels of cement can pave a mile of road. And this cement can not only be used to pave roads, but can also be used to build houses, build river embankments, reinforce city walls, etc. It has many uses!"

Mr. Lin was so excited that he almost burst into tears, "Okay, okay! If this thing could be used to strengthen the river embankment, the Wujiang River would not have flooded the year before last, displacing hundreds of thousands of people downstream -"

Mr. Lin suddenly knelt down towards Xu Zhenying's carriage with a bang, "City Lord, this magical object is really a blessing to all people! Your blessings are immeasurable. With this object, I am afraid you will be able to dominate the world in the future!" Xu Zhenying Startled, he quickly ordered someone to help Mr. Lin up, "Mr. Lin, you are serious, this is not the recipe I came up with -"

However, Mr. Lin grabbed her arm and was the first to intercept her words, "City Lord, I know that this secret must not be leaked, and there are some things you cannot say. No matter where this cement came from, it is the best in the world." It’s still an alien thing, as long as it can benefit all people, it’s all the city lord’s credit!”

Xu Zhenying secretly rolled his eyes.

This Mr. Lin's out-of-the-box thinking is almost the same as that of Mr. Fang from Jinzhou Prefecture.

This person actually one day secretly arranged something for her in another time and space, which scared Xu Zhenying to the point of trembling.

From then on, Xu Zhenying always felt terrified when facing the old vixen's shining eyes.

So were all the ancients so receptive?

Ming Xiaoshuang laughed at the side and said: "Mr. Lin, where are you now? We have just stepped into the territory of Jinzhou Prefecture. When you go further, you will know why we all say Jinzhou." The mansion is a great place!”

Mr. Lin acted quickly. Since coming to Xingyuan Mansion, this skinny old man has eaten better, slept more soundly, and done things happily. He has actually gained more than ten kilograms. Nowadays, his body is much stronger than before. He climbed onto the carriage very vigorously and urged: "What are you doing standing still? Why don't you hurry up?"

Qi Er also sighed: "No wonder you all say that Jinzhou Mansion is a good place. Now that I see it, it is really different. I am really curious about what the scene is like in Jinzhou Mansion."

Zhao Qionian on one side also said: "Isn't it true? I always hear Ming Xiaoshuang talking about Jinzhou Mansion and what a paradise it is. I also want to see what this Jinzhou Mansion looks like!"

"It's a pity that we will have to take the civil service examination within a few days after entering the city!"

"Speaking of which, Xingyuan Mansion also has an examination room. Why don't you take the exam directly in Xingyuan Mansion?"

Qi Er smiled and said, "It's not easy to meet the city lord again, so I have to show my face in front of him. Besides, since I have decided to work for the city lord, how can I not go to Jinzhou Prefecture for a pilgrimage?"

Zhao Qiaonian nodded in agreement, looking at Xu Zhenying surrounded by thousands of people, feeling a little bitter in his heart.

Until now, Xu Zhenying has not revealed anything to him.

Zhao Qionian himself didn't know what the city lord would do with this official after he passed the examination.

Ugh.

Daniel and the others all ran to Jinzhou Mansion to look for other ways to survive. It was said that the cement business was doing well.

And since he was determined to follow Xu Zhenying and seek a career as a dragon, he could only take the exam first.

He believed that Xu Zhenying would not treat him badly.

The news that Xu Zhenying's class teacher returned to the court was not a secret at all in Jinzhou Prefecture!
She has only been gone for half a year. Not only the officials are always paying attention to her movements, but also the people of Jinzhou Mansion are always trying to find out when the city lord will return.

The news of her return to Jinzhou Mansion first reached Qian Zhenniang, and somehow it spread like wildfire, and soon everyone in the city knew about it!

Before Xu Zhenying returned to the city, countless people set out from the county seat or the village, or took public carriages to the city, doing some small business or gaining knowledge, while also welcoming the city lord home.

Two days before Xu Zhenying returned to the city, the people who got wind of the incident almost overwhelmed the west gate of Jinzhou Prefecture.

Qian Zhenniang and the others had to send someone out to maintain order.

The officials held trumpets and tried to persuade them to leave, but in the end they all drove them away.

Who knows that the common people are not afraid of the officials at all. Even if the officials chase them away with a dark face and angrily, they will still reply with a few words with a playful smile.

"Oh, we all came from the mountains. We walked for two days and two nights just to see the city lord! Official, why don't you find a better place for us so that the city lord can visit us as soon as he comes back? See our village representatives from Xiaoshui Village!”

"Alas! That official, don't cover up the red banner in our Fanjia Village! This was specially written by a calligraphy master in the city! Please get out of the way!"

"Don't squeeze, there's no need to squeeze! This is the bacon I brought to the city lord, you all squeezed it thin for me!"

"Oh, you are the only one who has bacon! We from Shanggang Village carried more than a hundred kilograms of game to the city lord!"

"The game is so delicious! The city lord doesn't care about it! We from the Women's Alliance tied two baskets of wild flowers for the city lord. They are so beautiful that the city lord can even put them in his study after he takes them back! Hey, hey, brother official, don't step on me It’s a flower basket! I will sue you if you step on it!”

The official rolled his eyes in anger, turned around and complained to his superior: "Secretary Qian, I really can't do this job anymore..."

Secretary Qian could only console him helplessly: "If you can bear with it any longer, go and pull up a banner so that the common people don't crowd in on the right path."

I don't know who shouted: "Please give in, the Xu family's carriage has arrived——"

Everyone looked up and saw two huge and luxurious carriages parked a mile away from the city wall, and then several people got out of the carriages.

The leaders were a middle-aged couple, their clothes were not ostentatious and could even be said to be plain.

Then there was a young man with a jade crown and fair skin. He was calm and powerful, and behind him was an eight or nine-year-old girl carved from pink and jade.

The clothes and jewelry of this group of people do not appear to be expensive, but a simple word "Xu" on the wooden sign on the carriage shows the unusual status of these people.

On the carriage behind him, an old lady was helped off the horse, and then the identities of several people were recognized: "Isn't that Director Xu of our factory?"

"Director Xu, that's the city lord's fourth uncle!"

"Ah, these are all the Xu family! As expected, everyone looks noble..."

"Then the old lady is the city lord's grandmother, right? At such an old age, she came to personally take the city lord home."

Everyone was talking and craning their necks to look, and the Xu family, who were at the center of public opinion, seemed to have long been accustomed to this kind of gaze. They sometimes waved to the crowd, sometimes nodded slightly, and sometimes greeted the people around them. They were very friendly and amiable.

And here, several aunts and their children clung to the grandmother.

Xu Deyuan is dead, and the backbone of the Xu family's second wife is now far away in Qianzhou, and the head mother has also gone to Xingyuan Mansion. Their second wife was weak, with only a group of aunts and concubines left. Normally they could only fawn over the third wife, but in this situation, they didn't want to be too blatant, so they had to hold on to their grandmother quietly.

After Huang lost her son, any previous hatred towards Xu Deyuan disappeared. Instead, she only remembered Xu Deyuan's kindness. At least Xu Deyuan allowed her to enjoy the life of an official wife for more than ten years. Now that people die like lamps going out, she is full of My motherly heart can only be focused on the other people in the second room.

Therefore, one of them was trying to fawn over her, and the other was subconsciously protecting her. The second wife became closer and closer to her grandmother.

Someone shouted, "Back! Back! The city lord and the others are back!"

The team instantly became restless!

"Back?! Where is it, where is it!"

Only then did everyone see a mighty group of people appear at the end of the official road.

When people came closer, Xu Meixiao ejected like a small cannonball, "Sister! Sister!"

She shouted happily, dashed to the front of the crowd, and then quickly climbed onto the carriage.

A hand stretched out from inside and pulled her up. The two sisters hugged each other, "Sister! You are back! Meizi misses you so much!"

Xu Zhenying hugged the somewhat tight Xu Meixiao and said with a smile: "Yeah, I'm darker and fatter. It's good. Did you have fun in Qianzhou?"