Astral Apostle

   Chapter 196 Undercurrent and Recruitment

  The capital, the imperial palace, and the Purple Palace.

  Today's pilgrimage, hundreds of officials make a pilgrimage to see the Holy One and discuss political affairs.

   The emperor of this dynasty was a square-looking middle-aged man with a majestic face. At this time, he was sitting on the dragon chair and listening to the court officials.

   One by one officials came forward to report, most of which were trivial matters.

   After a while, someone suddenly came out and said:

   "...Yanbei and Taidong have suffered from severe droughts for years, the people are struggling to survive, and displaced people are in urgent need of disaster relief from the imperial court."

   The courtiers were agitated and whispered.

  The emperor raised his eyelids, a little dissatisfied:

   "There was a severe drought last year, a severe drought last year, and another drought this year. The imperial court's disaster relief efforts have not been successful every year, but the government warehouses have kept grain and the treasury has less money every year... Do you have any insights?"

  Everyone looked at each other, speechless.

At this time, Qin Song, Minister of the Right, came out of the crowd and said respectfully: "Initiating the performance of the sage, according to the opinion of the old minister, when the vision of the emperor built by the sage's decree is completed, the merits will be determined, and the heaven will be declared. A good year."

  The View of the Son of Heaven refers to a large number of strange and spectacle buildings that are still under construction. .

  The emperor heard the words and smiled:

   "What Qin Aiqing said is very true. This is why I asked the world to build the concept of the Son of Heaven. It's just that it has not yet been completed, and the thirst in the near and far cannot be quenched. The drought in these two places will eventually be taken care of now."

   "Sage is wise." Qin Song bowed his head and retreated.

  The emperor glanced left and right, and pointed to a minister who was in charge of disaster relief last year: "Aiqing's disaster relief last year, the results were good, can you have a plan today?"

  The minister quietly glanced at Qin Song, and then said loudly:

   "Just like in previous years, we can only use low taxes and light taxes, adjust food and porridge, and provide relief to the victims... Other than that, there is no other way."

The    emperor nodded and was about to say something.

   The minister went on, adding:

   "It's just that the disasters in the past years have led to the rampage of bandits in the north and chaos everywhere. If they are not dealt with, there will be many obstacles to the disaster relief."

   "Oh?" The emperor frowned: "Is there such a thing?"

  The minister nodded: "Drought is a natural disaster, but some thieves turned it into a man-made disaster, coercing the victims to attack the state capital, so that the state capitals did not dare to open the city for relief, and even the county town was looted by the victims, which was extremely bad."

   "Then, do you gentlemen have a way to deal with them?"

  The emperor looked at everyone.

   Suddenly another courtier came out and said coldly: "Death from starvation is a small matter, but a breach of order is a big problem. Even if these victims are displaced, it is not a reason for committing chaos. They should send troops to suppress them and kill them as an example!"

   Hearing the words, Qin Song hurried out and said:

"Absolutely not, the Northland bandits are rampant, according to the old minister's opinion, this matter should be appeasement. Your Majesty can order a few of these bandits to be reassured, and then order them to suppress other bandits. It doesn’t cost you a single soldier or soldier, and you can save a lot of money and food.”

   At this time, Pang Hong, the privy envoy in charge of the military, said in a deep voice:

   "The thieves and pirates are just a mob, and they are not a climate. Once the officers and soldiers arrive, the heaven is mighty, and the thieves will naturally surrender! Why do you need to recruit security?

The   chao hall was quickly divided into three groups, each holding their own words. Some supported sending troops, some supported recruiting security, and the rest watched from the sidelines.

   seems to have valid reasons for each, but in fact undercurrents are surging.

The emperor listened for a while, stopped everyone, and said slowly: "Building the View of the Son of Heaven is an important matter, and the rest of the expenses can be saved. Now that the treasury is empty, it is not suitable to deploy troops. The matter will be handed over to Qin Aiqing."

   He was thinking of building a lot of construction, and finished building a bunch of wonders as soon as possible, and did not want to expand military spending.

  When everyone saw this, the quarrel stopped and they returned to the crowd.

  The emperor paused, changed the subject, and asked, "It's almost autumn, how are you preparing for this year's south autumn tour?"

  Left Chancellor Lu Wenzong came out, bowed and said:

   "Report to the sage, everything has been arranged on the way from the capital to Ningtianfu."

  The prince also took a few steps forward and said, "Father, don't worry, my son is in Beijing to supervise the country, so everything is safe."

"Well." The emperor nodded, then remembered something, and smiled: "A few days ago, the prefect of Ningtian played, saying that there was an expert in the city, who could call the wind and rain, called the real Yufeng, and I passed by this time. , I would like to see if it is true."

   "Thinking about the Holy One!" A censor known for his "straightforwardness" hurriedly said, "These people are all the generation that confuses the public, how can the honor of the Holy One go to see such a swashbuckler?"

  The emperor's smile faded.

   At this moment, Qin Song spoke immediately and retorted:

   "Since the prefect of Ningtian dares to make a statement, it must be verified. After the sage has arrived in Ningtian, after clarifying the reason, he will decide whether to summon this person or not. Why do you need to say more?"

   "Not bad." The emperor smiled and nodded.

   said a few more things, and the emperor was a little tired, so he announced his withdrawal from the dynasty.

  The officials filed out of the Ziji Temple.

   Qin Song was at the end, and Lu Wenzong walked side by side with him, out of touch with other officials, and chatting leisurely.

   "Then Shumi Pang always wants to raise the army to cause trouble. If the thieves in Yanbei and Taidong are repressed with soldiers, I don't know how much money will be wasted. How can the sage be willing."

   Qin Song said casually.

   Lu Wenzong glanced at him and said with a smile: "I heard that Prime Minister Qin bought a lot of properties in these two places, I don't know if it is a rumor."

   "Hehe, that's all nonsense." Qin Song calmly waved his hand and stroked his beard, "It's actually Lu Xiang who is in charge of the emperor, and has been arranging the southward tour for the saint for the past few years, which is very enviable."

   Lu Wenzong smacked his lips, moved away from the topic, and said:

   "Speaking of which, I heard that a student of Prime Minister Qin, who was a prefect in the Luhe area, was cut off by a thief and his arm was cut off. I wonder if it was true?"

   Qin Song smiled slightly, and said lightly: "Yes, these thugs, if they commit the following crimes, should be punished by death."

   Lu Wenzong: "It is said that the thief is called Chen Feng, and he has the courage of ten thousand husbands. I wonder what is the plan of Qin Prime Minister?"

  Qin Song sneered: "The bravery of a man, let Luhe soldiers and horses conquer it on their own, why should you and I worry about it."

   Lu Wenzong smiled: "I'm just worried that there are such strong men in the Luhe area, they may collide with the holy car, and ruin the enthusiasm of the holy priest's autumn tour."

   Qin Song squinted when he heard the words:

   "It makes sense, but this is a hidden danger... Then I will urge it."

  …

  Yanbei, Tianwang Village.

  This is a majestic village, entrenched in high mountains, with many gates and flags fluttering.

   At this time, in front of the Dazhai gate, dozens of leaders were sending a few messengers out.

   "Leaders, don't want to send each other off, we're going down the mountain. I hope you will consider my master's proposal. If you are willing to ask for peace, just wait for the good news."

   Several messengers declined, and then followed the minions all the way down the mountain, and their backs were far away in the eyes of everyone.

   Xiang Tianjie retracted his gaze, looked at the village owner, and couldn't help but said, "Brother, the court has not issued an order for security, can these people really trust me, are they fooling me?"

   All the leaders also looked at their village owners, all a little confused.

   Their Tianwangzhai, as the largest village in the north, has always had the voice of accepting the call for security, but the court never seemed to have such intentions, so this proposal was shelved.

   But last year, the village owner went to the capital, where he didn’t know who he met, what line he got on, and when he came back, he mentioned the matter of recruiting security again.

After   , envoys from unknown origins frequently came to communicate about the security arrangements. Even though the imperial court had not moved yet, these envoys seemed to believe that the imperial court would definitely issue security arrangements, and they came to discuss various conditions with their Tianwangzhai in advance.

   "Brothers, don't worry, things are of course true, and sooner or later the imperial court will come to recruit me."

   A big man said loudly, he was dignified and dignified, his temples were white, and he was not too young.

   This person is the owner of Tianwangzhai, Lu Longchuan.

   He is known as the "King of Heaven" and has always been known as the "No. 1 Master of Green Forest".

   At this time, someone in the leader spoke, dissatisfied:

"Zhao'an Zhao'an, recruit a bird's security, the condition they put forward is that we help the court to pacify the bandits in Yanbei and Taidong, so why do we live on the Green Forest Road? Wouldn't it be better for everyone to be as happy as they are now? it is good?"

Hearing the words, a leader immediately retorted, saying: "Brother, this statement is not good, we can't be a grass bandit for a lifetime, the crops in Yanbei and Taidong have not been harvested well in the past two years, and a large number of farmers have abandoned their fields and fled. We Continuing to grow bigger, it has reached a bottleneck now, and it is not easy to feed the entire mountain. If we expand, we must occupy the city. That is a major crime of treason, and there will be no future! This road has come to an end, and recruiting security is the only way out.”

"Yes, if we can pacify the bandit troubles in the two places for the court, we are also meritorious people, and everyone can be appointed an official and a half-post. People in the green forest were recruited and finally made meritorious deeds to become a general of the court. This is not without precedent, I didn't listen to it. Have you heard the old saying... If you want to be an official, kill and set fire to make peace!"

  The crowd chatted.

The members of   Tianwangzhai are complex, but most of them agree with recruiting security, believing that this is the only way to restore innocence and stand out.

   Even if it is a pirate, under the education of feudal etiquette, most people have a natural yearning to become an official in the dynasty, thinking that this is the highest goal in life to honor the ancestors.

  Lu Longchuan raised his hand to make everyone quiet, and said solemnly: "We have been brothers for many years, don't everyone still trust me, I will definitely fight for everyone's wealth."

   "I'll wait for my brother's arrangement."

   Everyone quickly clasped their fists to express their position.

   At this time, Xiang Tianjie remembered one thing and said with a smile, "Does the village owner remember that urging Yama Chen Feng?"

  Lu Longchuan nodded: "Brother Xiang admires him very much, I naturally remember, why did he suddenly mention this person?"

   "Recent rumors say that Chen Feng has done a great job in the Luhe area. He has single-handedly leveled two mountains, and his reputation has spread all over the world. People with good deeds say that he is the number one expert in the Green Forest..."

   Xiang Tianjie recounted Zhou Jing's deeds.

  Lu Longchuan's eyes flashed: "This person's martial arts skills are indeed rare... Brother Xiang has an old relationship with him, is there a way to invite him up the mountain to gather together?"

   "This... I'm not sure either, this person doesn't seem to have any intention of falling into the grass."

   Xiang Tianjie paused, hesitated for a while, and then said:

   "Furthermore, this person is reckless and impulsive, lawless and domineering. I am afraid that he is a tyrant who does not want to be subservient to others. Even if he goes up the mountain to join the team, it is estimated that he is unwilling to accept recruiting..."

  Lu Longchuan heard the words and sighed: "It's a pity, then forget it."

   If it was in the past, when Tianwangzhai was still developing in great strides, he would definitely pull a fierce man like Zhou Jing up the mountain.

  But now the Tianwangzhai family has a big business, and they are already in a dominant position, and they are all going to accept the recruitment. It is not meaningful to have one more top expert... and the seats are not easy to arrange.

  Lu Longchuan shook his head and left Chen Feng behind.

   No matter how high this person's martial arts are... What does it have to do with him now.

   He is now in a solid position and has long passed the stage where he needs to be famous.

   (end of this chapter)