"Don't say I didn't predict what I said!" This sentence kept swirling in Murong Yanchao's mind, making him truly feel the chill and fear to his bones.
Although Sun Tu did not behave as viciously or show off his weapons this time as he did the previous two times, the intercepted memorial table posed a greater threat to Murong Yanchao, leaving him without any doubt that the other party was really In a fit of rage, he would kill a person of his own who dared to intercept the government report. Is there anything else he wouldn't dare to do
So until someone called him softly and made Murong Yanchao come back to his senses from the panic, there was still an unconcealable fear in his eyes. It took him a while to return to normal, and he could clearly see the person standing in front of him. The few people there were none other than his confidant Master Jing Yiming, as well as two government officials, including Fang Ping and Shen Bian. The three of them were looking at him with concern: "Fu Tai, Then what is Sun Tu doing here?" There was also some uneasiness in his tone.
Before Murong Yanchao could answer, a guard ran over in a panic, stood in front of the door and reported in a hurry: "Something happened at the mansion. Dozens of Xiang army soldiers suddenly surrounded them." The government warehouse said that they wanted to hand over their food there... "
These words immediately caused the expressions of the three men in the room to change. However, Murong Yanchao felt calm at this time. He waved his hand and said, "I know, please step back." Then he looked at the three men. Person: "Sun Tu came to see me for this reason. He wants the government to fully distribute all the money and food he has accumulated in the past two years to his Xiang army soldiers."
"Ah? This... are they really going to rebel? They actually dared to plan the government granary..." Shen Bian couldn't help shouting. He couldn't hide the fear in his eyes, and the other two people also Not much better than him, they all looked uneasy and turned their attention to Magistrate Murong to see what his decision was.
"The only thing we can do now is to take a step back." When he said this, Murong Yanchao felt a throbbing pain in his heart. The foundation he had built in Qingzhou for many years was actually destroyed by Sun Tu in less than half a month. The destruction is complete. He knew very well what this concession meant. It would not only be money and food, but more importantly, his reputation and prestige in the state would plummet.
However, facing the current situation, does he still have any choice? Given Sun Tuzhi's boldness, as long as he continues to hold on, he might really dare to ask others to snatch food, or even be cruel to him. It's a matter of his own life and safety, so no matter how reluctant he is, he can only endure it.
In fact, he didn't realize that after suffering losses one after another, he had become afraid of Sun Tu, and he almost lost the confidence to fight with him. This is just like when he dominated everyone in Qingzhou, those people didn't even have the courage to compete with him.
"But... Futai, if the money and grain are really distributed in full, the amount is quite large. I'm afraid there won't be enough grain stored in the grain warehouse." Fang Ping immediately raised his concerns.
"Of course I understand this, so in addition to the things in the granary, I also decided that I and other officials, as well as some merchants in the city, would pool together some money and food to make up for it. If you do a rough calculation, each of you only needs five dollars to make up for it. Qian Guan is about the same
. "Murong Yanchao had already made up his mind and replied immediately.
"Ah..." The expressions of the two subordinates suddenly changed: "Xiaoguan... How could it be possible for Xiaguan to get so much money..."
"Huh, don't tell lies in front of Mingren. This is what you usually get? In two years, you can get no less than 50,000 yuan without saying anything. Now I just ask you to come up with a mere 5,000 yuan. What does it matter? And not only you, but also the wealthy businessmen in the city have to pay for it with money and food. I have decided to give out 20,000 yuan of money and food. Isn’t it more than you?" Murong Yanchao's expression changed. He paused and said reproachfully. It's not that he didn't know what the following people were doing behind his back, he just turned a blind eye.
Seeing that he had spoken so clearly, the two subordinates were speechless and did not dare to argue any more. However, they still felt a pang of pain in their hearts. That was five thousand dollars, which was a large sum even for officials like them.
Although they have indeed taken various opportunities to put money into their own pockets in the past two years, the number is actually not too much. After all, there are too many people to take care of, and Qingzhou is not very wealthy. The income is even less, and not all of it comes from the Xiang army. Now they have to give 30% of their income back to the Xiang army at once. This is tantamount to cutting their flesh.
But they also knew how dangerous the current situation was, and neither Sun Tu nor the Xiang Army soldiers who had regrouped could be offended by them. Didn't you see that even the always tough prefect has given in? Then they don't dare to be enemies with them, so they can only admit defeat.
Seeing that they finally accepted their fate, Murong Yanchao finally smiled a little, but before he could say anything, Shen Bian spoke again: "Futai, you don't want Xianguan and others to come up with some money. It’s too difficult, but now it’s not that easy to get the wealthy businessmen in the city to also contribute money... "
"Huh? Do they dare to go against the government's wishes?" Murong Yanchao's face suddenly sank. Now that he was angry, if that blind guy really dared to go against him, he would be able to take it out on someone.
"No, have you forgotten that there have been many thefts in the homes of several wealthy families in recent days, and many treasures and large amounts of money have been stolen from their homes. Now their losses have been huge. If they are forced to Take out the money, I'm afraid..." Shen Bian said with some worry.
Sun Tu is certainly scary, but the power of these local big families is not small. If they really fall out with these people, it will be difficult for the government to collect grain and tax. Although Murong Yanchao can dominate the world in Qingzhou, in fact, it is just because he is in the same boat with these big businessmen and has similar interests. If he really offends these people, the situation will only get worse.
Only then did Murong Yanchao realize that because of Sun Tu's appearance, he had really put this matter aside. Since last month, major thefts have occurred one after another in Qingzhou City, and most of the thefts were from wealthy households with huge wealth. Many wealthy households even went to the Yamen to complain, which caused a storm in the city at that time.
After pondering for a moment, he finally said: "Officer Shen, it's been a month, and you still haven't been able to find any clues to capture the thief?"
The pen can no longer be called a thief, but a big thief.
Shen Bian lowered his head with some guilt: "The big thief comes and goes without a trace, and has never been seen by anyone, so..."
At this time, Jing Yiming, who had been silent all this time, spoke up: "Futai, there is a way to solve the current problem. Why not leave this matter to Sun Tu and his Xiang troops? ?”
"Huh?" Several people present were stunned, and then they smiled happily, especially Murong Yanchao, who patted the table and said: "Yes, Sun Tu has always claimed that he has a safe environment. It is the responsibility of the people to stabilize the people. Now that there is a big thief in my Qingzhou city, it is time for their Xiang army to contribute. If they can't even handle this little thing, do they have the nerve to ask for money and food from us? "
The more he thought about it, the more reasonable he became, and then he looked at Shen Bian: "In this case, Officer Shen, I will leave this matter to you. Now go to see Sun Tu and tell us our requirements. As long as he If they can help catch the thief, we will certainly not miss them with the money and food we have accumulated over the past two years."
"Ah? Your Majesty..." Shen Bian panicked when he heard this. Sun Tu was a vicious person that even Magistrate Murong was afraid of. How could he dare to negotiate with him and negotiate terms
But before he could say anything to evade, Magistrate Murong glared and said: "This is your official responsibility. If you can't even do such a small thing, then you will lead people to find the thief. He can't be found. You’re the only one asking!”
Although Murong Yanchao has been defeated in front of Sun Tu recently, the prestige he has created in Qingzhou over the years is still there, and it is more than enough to suppress these subordinates, so just one look has frightened Shen Bian so much that he did not dare to say anything more, and he was busy. He responded: "Yes, I will go see Sun Tu now and ask him to take over the matter." When he said this, he regretted why he mentioned this just now. This was not to make himself uncomfortable. Well, now I can only bravely go to see Sun Tu.
It wasn't until the two subordinates withdrew thoughtfully that Jing Yiming looked at his employer with some worry and confusion: "Futai, are you really going to give in like this? This will only encourage Sun Tu and the others' arrogance. In the future... "
"Of course I know that doing this is tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst. Once he gains power, all my years of hard work here will be ruined. But the situation is like this, now I can only endure it. Moreover, the situation in Qingzhou is far worse than What he thinks is much more complicated, and I believe there is still a way to reverse this situation. As long as he is a military general, he will not be able to escape the fate that follows, and that is my chance to stand up." Murong Yanchao said, unable to help but Sigh softly.
Jing Yiming also understood the meaning of his words. In addition to feeling more confident, he also felt helpless. It is said that six or seven years ago, the reason why Magistrate Murong was able to completely take over the power in the state was not only because of his status as a magistrate and civil servant and Liang Shicheng in the court as his backer, but also because of the intricate relationships in Qingzhou. What they didn't expect was that many years later, a military attache who had just arrived in Qingzhou would force them into a dangerous situation again, and they had to use the same tricks again to reverse the situation.
In the final analysis, this still makes them feel a little ashamed, but in the face of reality, they can only put aside those useless dignity.