The king behind the empress

chapter 62
There are a total of seventeen aristocratic families in Xunzhou City, as well as two large chambers of commerce. When Zhang Yuan raised the butcher knife, they were like lambs waiting to be slaughtered, with no ability to resist.

Zhang Hu led thousands of elites, and wiped out these aristocratic families with a force of destruction.

"Uncle, it's already been copied."

Zhang Hu, who came back from the house, was flushed with excitement, and said to Zhang Yuan, "Do you know how much food and grass we copied?"

"The Feng family can collect 30 shi of grain a year. According to their habit of stockpiling, you should be able to copy about 60 shi. Although other families are not as big as the Feng family, but fortunately, they have enough quantities to add up. Next, compared with the Feng family, it will only be more, not less."

"As for the two major chambers of commerce, they were originally engaged in the grain and grass business. If they copied them, they would be able to harvest less than the Feng family, right?"

Zhang Yuan made some calculations, and then said: "If you add it all up, there will be about 250 million stones?"

Zhang Hu's expression was a little startled, because Zhang Yuan's guess was accurate, "Uncle, why are you so clear?"

"if not?"

Zhang Yuan said to Zhang Hu with a serious tone: "As a qualified general, after arriving in a city, the most important thing you should do is to find out the food storage situation in this city."

"As long as you figure out the amount of stored food, your army will never be in a desperate situation of food shortage, understand?"

"Oh."

Zhang Hu nodded thoughtfully, and after a long time, he suddenly realized, "Uncle, have you been eyeing these aristocratic families for a long time?"

"It's not like I've been eyeing it for a long time."

Zhang Yuan waved his hand and clarified: "I just paid attention to it. Originally, according to my plan, I didn't plan to touch these aristocratic families until the last moment. After all, it would be too troublesome after all."

Zhang Hu was silent for a moment, he finally knew why his uncle was always in short supply of food and grass, but his uncle was never in a hurry. It turned out that these aristocratic families had always been meat on his uncle's chopping board.

"These commanders have dirty hearts."

After he figured it out, Zhang Hu complained silently in his heart, and then continued to report: "Uncle, in addition to food and grass, a total of 300 million taels of silver was copied, and thousands of prisoners were captured. Probably a few hundred."

"The Xunzhou aristocratic family stores food but not money. Three million taels is not too little. Send the money later to boost morale."

Zhang Yuan was not too surprised by this result, he arranged in an orderly manner: "As for the captives, they can be included in the death camp."

"Yes, uncle."

Zhang Hu saluted and took his leave. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a loud shout from outside the courtyard.

"Zhang Yuan, you must rebel."

Before the words were finished, a middle-aged man in a green official uniform with a dignified face walked over aggressively with several people.

"Killing people wantonly in the city, do you still have a little bit of kingly law in your eyes?"

"What's happened to Governor Zhao, why are you so angry?"

Seeing the person coming, Zhang Yuan chuckled, then waved his hand to signal Zhang Hu to do something, while he stood in place and waited for Zhao Junshou to come over.

"The big family in the city has already been killed by you nine times out of ten, and you still ask me what happened to me?"

Zhao Shou, the governor of Xunzhou County, was angry. When he received the news that Zhang Yuan's soldiers were killing wantonly in the city, he immediately stopped them. As a result, the soldiers ignored him and almost beat him up.

In desperation, Zhao Shou searched several places before finally finding Zhang Yuan. As a result, the old man Zhang Yuan actually pretended to be stupid for him, which immediately made him very angry.

"Zhang Yuan, let me ask you, did you order the massacre of the family in the city?"

"That's right, I asked him to do it." Zhang Yuan did not shirk at all, and directly admitted it.

Hearing Zhang Yuan admitted this matter without hesitation, Zhao Shou, who was furious at first, suddenly calmed down as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water on his head.

"It's so happy to admit, this old thing won't really rebel, right?"

A trace of fear suddenly rose in Zhao Shou's heart. If Zhang Yuan really rebelled, then he, the county guard, would be sacrificed to the flag immediately.

"That... that, Lord Marquis." Zhao Shou forced a smile on his face, and said cautiously, "Putting people to death is the crime of treason."

"You...you don't really want to..."

"how come."

Zhao Shou's arrogant and respectful appearance made Zhang Yuan feel a little ridiculous, but he couldn't laugh when he thought that Zhao Shou was the dignified governor of Xunzhou and a fifth-rank official in the imperial court.

"Officials of the Great Zhou, it's really not as good as a generation."

After sighing slightly in his heart, Zhang Yuan said directly: "These aristocratic families concealed their land property, and held their own food during the war. The king of Zizai ordered me to kill them on the spot and confiscate all their property."

"King Zizai? Mo Zizai?"

Zhao Shou was stunned for a moment, then his courage returned immediately, and he said angrily, "He is just a prince in vain, where does he have the power to control my affairs in Xunzhou?"

"Even if he has the authority of Yu Zhisi, he is not qualified to give you this order, he is arrogating!"

"That's not the only thing he's presumptuous."

Looking at Zhao Shou, who was in a panic, Zhang Yuan was not in a hurry, and said slowly: "From today on, I will also take care of the political affairs of Xunzhou. During the period when I am defending the city, you have to listen to my orders."

"Military and political power concentrated in one person? Does he still have the past emperors of the Great Zhou in his eyes?"

The Great Zhou had an ancestral system. No matter when, in order to prevent local chaos, military and political power should not be concentrated in one person at any time. Even when Mo Congyi was in charge of the army in the east, he never intervened in local government affairs.

As a result, Mo Zizai didn't even become the emperor, but directly gave up the military and political power. In Zhao Shou's view, this was treason.

"I want to write a letter to His Majesty to join him, no, I want to go to the capital to sue him!"

Zhang Yuan had soldiers in his hands, and he wanted to forcibly take over the city's government affairs. Zhao Shou had no ability to resist at all, so he said directly: "I don't believe that this big week can let him, a courtier, cover the sky with one hand!"

"That, Master Zhao."

Zhang Yuan looked at Zhao Shou with a little embarrassment, "I'm not very proficient in political affairs, so I expect you to take care of political affairs and recruit soldiers for me."

"Now that you're gone, what do you ask me to do?"

"What's hindering me?"

Zhao Shou snorted, and said arrogantly: "Since you take over the political affairs, then these political affairs should be handled by you, and you have nothing to do with this official."

"I'm going to the capital to face the saint and sue Mo Zizai, a sycophant. I'm not in the same breath as this sycophant, and no one can stop me!"

"Oh, if that's the case, I wish you the best of luck."

Zhang Yuan looked at Zhao Shou for a long time, until Zhao Shou's heart became a little hairy, and then he sighed and said: "It's just that when I searched the properties of the Feng family just now, I found that the Feng family has a total of two thousand and one good fields. One hundred hectares, but they reported less than one thousand hectares."

"I don't know if King Zizai will blame you when you arrive in the capital."

"However, it doesn't matter. After all, you are a member of the fifth rank, and he dares to kill you."

"..."

Hearing this, Zhao Shou froze in place. He reported less than [-] hectares of land for [-] hectares, and fully concealed the tax revenue for [-] hectares of land. This happened under his rule. Who is he to blame?
As for not daring to kill him, fart!
The third-rank servant was slaughtered like a chicken, so what was he, a fifth-rank sheriff, worth.

"Master Hou..."

Zhao Shou said in a difficult tone: "I think...you don't understand political affairs after all, and you shouldn't be distracted during this war, so I'd better stay here and help you."

"How can this be done?"

Zhang Yuan quickly evaded, "Didn't Mr. Zhao want to go to Beijing to face the saint and sue the traitor? How dare I stop you?"

"Don't be in a hurry, don't be in a hurry..."

Zhao Shou sneered, and didn't dare to say any more. Going to Beijing to face the saint, what a fart, and giving away the head is almost the same. Before Mo Zizai falls, he should stay in Xunzhou City honestly.

(End of this chapter)