[R18] Will drink wine – “About Wine” Chapter 160 [English]

Chapter 155 Negotiation

Xiao Chiye was not only scolded, but also beaten.But he had already planned this in his mind and didn’t want to hide it from his family.He stood in the military tent to accept the punishment of demotion. Before the generals went out, they took a peek at Xiao Fangxu and found that the prince was even more angry.

Zuo Qianqiu turned the armband over and over, gave Xiao Fangxu a slight thumbs up, and said, “I can’t see anything.”

Xiao Fangxu stood on the other side with his back on his back and said, “Don’t you know what kind of arm he is using to tie me up? If he is stretched to death, he will be like a dog’s skin. With his thick skin and thick flesh, he won’t waste any time on it.”

Zuo Qianqiu was also in trouble. He looked at Xiao Chiye and said hesitantly: “…Why didn’t you mention it to your family when you were in Qudu? Now talk to the master and let us be a little prepared for him…”

“Be prepared,” Xiao Fangxu looked back, “He was already ready, and he was just waiting for me to take the bait!”

“Sooner or later, we have to meet,” Xiao Chiye was scolded with his hands behind his back, “I have to do everything that needs to be done. I will take him home to see my mother this year.”

“You have arranged it well,” Xiao Fangxu mocked, “Why don’t I call you daddy.”

Xiao Chiye didn’t dare to answer this.

“Where are you from?” Zuo Qianqiu put down his armband, “Are you from Qudu?”

Xiao Chiye said honestly: “People from Zhongbo.”

Zuo Qianqiu said to Xiao Fangxu, “That’s okay, it’s close.” He then asked, “How old are you?”

Xiao Chiye said: “Twenty-one is quite small.”

Zuo Qianqiu felt that this condition was familiar for some reason, but he didn’t think about it for a while, and only said: “The arm binding is good, are you in this business?”

Xiao Chiye said: “…No.”

Xiao Fangxu sneered: “Do you dare to tell your master what you just said outside?”

Xiao Chiye coughed slightly.

Xiao Fangxu said: “If I demote you, you will stab me in the heart!”

Xiao Chiye heard this, but he was not fooled and said, “I didn’t, I don’t dare.”

Zuo Qianqiu was still thinking about what kind of man he was, so he asked: “What’s that called? Is it a surname we are familiar with?”

“Familiar,” Xiao Chiye paused for a moment and said, “My name is Shen Zechuan.”

* * *

A few days later, Kong Ling and Yu Xiao arrived at Luoxia Pass again. Cizhou wanted to discuss long-term cooperation with Luoxia Pass.The two parties have almost completed their negotiations in the letters. This time they want to pass it through directly and arrive in Huaizhou before the end of August.

August arrived, and the former commander of the garrison in Fanzhou rebelled and wanted to proclaim himself king. He even sent troops to seize Dengzhou first, hoping to threaten Cizhou, and issued a document asking Cizhou to transfer the grain sold to Chazhou to them, claiming to be “borrowing grain.”

Of course Shen Zechuan ignored it and directly asked Zhou Gui to draft a memorandum and send it to Chazhou to work together to suppress the bandits. He labeled all the armed groups in Zhongbo except himself as “bandits”.Fanzhou, the “King of Wings”, naturally did not accept it. The two sides exchanged insults in the air, and their staff sent letters to each other to greet their ancestors. They tried their best to describe the other party as someone who was plotting against the party, and then described themselves as having no choice but to rebel for the people.

Shen Zechuan was not idle. Time was precious now. During the free time between the two sides, he asked the Cizhou Prefecture to start repairing the horse roads and inns leading to various states. The project was not small and would not be completed until the end of the year. At the same time, the Cizhou garrison did not stop training. Cizhou was expanding at a rapid rate.

“The money from selling the grain this time is not only needed by Huaizhou, but can be used for the repair of horse roads. However, the grain distributed by the Yamen will inevitably decrease. After the winter comes, the number of refugees will increase, and I can’t bear to turn people away.” Zhou Gui presented a booklet to Shen Zechuan and said, “The weather has turned cold, and the number of refugees from Dancheng has gradually increased.”

“Speaking of the refugees in Dan City,” Shen Zechuan took the brochure and turned to Yao Wenyu, “Yuan Zhuo came from Dan City and knows the current situation better than we do. Why did the number of refugees increase so much all of a sudden?”

Yao Wenyu covered her cloak and said sternly when she heard the voice: “After the death of the late Emperor, Han Cheng wanted to persuade the Queen Mother to provide additional official positions for the children of the family and use the treasury to support the children and grandchildren of the family. The list was tens of thousands of people, but the Queen Mother did not agree. In order to preserve their vitality, the family headed by Han Cheng intensified their efforts to seize civilian land. HeThey falsely reported the number of acres of land and hid tens of thousands of hectares of fertile land, leaving the people with no land to cultivate and having to bear the poll tax for their families. For this reason, more people fled.”

“According to the law, after the household registration is confirmed, if there are no relevant documents from the local government, leaving the country without permission will be considered as a soldier, or at worst, be executed.” Shen Zechuan thought for a moment, “In order to avoid being arrested by the government, it is most suitable for them to come to Zhongbo. But after all, Cizhou’s ability is limited, and relying solely on the yamen’s food supply is not a long-term solution. We cannot support so many people.”

Not only that, some of the refugees who arrived in Cizhou were addicted to freeloading. On the pretext of refusing to be separated, they pretended to be “refugees” and ate at the yamen gate to die.

“I specifically asked the decentralized officials. There are many young and strong people in this group who wander the streets and cause trouble. Our security was very good before July, but thefts occurred frequently after August. When the yamen’s catchers arrested people and imprisoned them, they wallowed and acted miserably.” Zhou Gui became worried when he said this. “Later, when he found out that he could still eat in jail, he became even more unscrupulous. Alas!”

Shen Zechuan has already made a decision on this matter, he said: “heWe dare to be unscrupulous because Cizhou is tolerant of refugees. There are no relevant penalties in this regard and they are still dealt with according to local good registration.But times are different now. Today, you are invited to draft a document to strictly prohibit refugees from evading the separation of registration until mid-August at the latest., those who have not registered their household registration in the Yamen will be deported.Not only that, Cizhou will post notices everywhere in the future, and send relevant posters to explain clearly to the illiterate people in the city, whoever commits crimes will be severely punished and will not be spared.”

After Shen Zechuan arrived in Cizhou, he used gentle methods and always seemed easy to talk to others.Regarding the matter of Chazhou, there was not much show of success, but this time they changed their tune and acted vigorously and resolutely.

Zhou Gui said hesitantly: “But if we set severe penalties, wouldn’t it be unpopular? After all, Cizhou only accommodated the refugees with an inclusive attitude a few months ago.”

“These are two things,” Yao Wenyu said justly. “Cizhou accommodates the refugees out of compassion, but if it loses its due prestige for this, it is putting the cart before the horse. As the saying goes, we must first settle the internal affairs in order to fight against foreigners. Cizhou must solve internal hidden dangers as soon as possible, otherwise it will be dragged down by this in the future.”

“Now there is a ‘wing king’ in Fanzhou,” Shen Zechuan put down the book. “This wing king wants to establish a small imperial court in the southeast of Cizhou. He has gathered the troops of Fan and Dengzhou to fight against Cizhou. He wants us to be his granary. The situation will become more chaotic after next spring, and we can no longer give in because of the word ‘benevolence and righteousness’.”

“Besides, this is also a good thing,” Yao Wenyu said to Zhou Gui. “Repairing horse road stations requires manpower, and the refugees just fill the vacancies in Cizhou. The yamen will distribute food to them according to the amount of work. They will have somewhere to use their strength and have full stomachs, so naturally they will not cause trouble everywhere.”

Zhou Gui also nodded when he heard this and said: “With the household registration, the yamen will have an accurate number of Cizhou’s headcount. We will start measuring the fields at the end of August, and we can complete the division before next spring. As long as there are no natural disasters next year, Cizhou’s granary will be able to remain abundant.”

“This is the first year,” Shen Zechuan said in a good mood. “Chazhou will also be on the agenda next year. In addition, preparations for the opening of new horse trails to Luoxiaguan and Huaizhou in the northwest will also begin.”

Zhou Gui was stunned and said, “Aren’t we borrowing the road from Libei?”

“Yes, but in the long run, Luoxia Pass must be paid accordingly.” Shen Zechuan said, “Luoxia Pass is right above Quancheng, and it is a good companion that we need to make good friends with. After the trade route becomes prosperous, the existing roads will not be enough, not to mention that the Beiyuan Hunting Ground will become a camp for the Forbidden Army, so it is very necessary to build new horse roads.”

“There is also the problem of military rations everywhere in the spring of next year.” The weather is not good, and Yao Wenyu’s legs and feet are aching, but he looks as usual, “First, Qidong is the biggest threat to the south of Zhongbo. This year was affected by the assassination of the late emperor and Lu Guangbai’s defection, and there was no time to send troops to Zhongbo. But now the marriage between flowers and relatives has been formed. If there is sufficient military rations in the spring of next year, heIt is also very possible for them to go north to attack us.Secondly, since Libei is now out of the control of Qudu, the Northeast Grain Horse Road has lost the qualification to go directly to the Juexi Granary.We have a close relationship with Libei. All the border cavalry in the north will be borne by Libei, and the military food problem must be resolved before the beginning of spring.”

The staff were all discussing matters in the study compartment, separated by a screen.Because they live indoors all year round, many people smoke and smoke. Over time, the study becomes filled with smoke and becomes stuffy.

Shen Zechuan called Qiao Tianya and said, “Send Yuan Zhuo out for some fresh air.”

Yao Wenyu leaned slightly towards Shen Zechuan on the four-wheeler and was pushed out by Qiao Tianya.Shen Zechuan asked Zhou Gui to open the window and let the staff in the cubicle take a break.The air in the house was too turbid, so Shen Zechuan also went out to blow the cold air.

In the recent rainy season in Cizhou, there are not many sunny days and it is very cold.Ji Gang was worried that Shen Zechuan would fall ill again, so he kept an eye on him and put on clothes every day. Fei Sheng followed him when traveling, so he was extra cautious.

When Fei Sheng saw Shen Zechuan coming out, he stepped forward to present the cloak.Shen Zechuan took off his clothes and walked along the corridor for a while. The locust flowers in the courtyard had already withered, and all the leaves on the branches had fallen off. They lay in the gloomy sky, which looked a bit desolate.

Fei Sheng thought of a way to be funny and said: “Master, there is a copper vat in the house this week that is exactly the same as ours. There are several koi carps in it, which makes Mr.’s cat spin with greed.”

Shen Zechuan looked over and said, “The one in our house is the housewarming gift given by Mrs. Zhou.”

Shen Zechuan stood a little chilly, but felt much more awake.Seeing that it was almost time, he walked back to the eaves of the study. Seeing that Qiao Tianya and Yao Wenyu hadn’t come back yet, he waited for a while.Zhou Gui came over in a hurry and greeted Shen Zechuan to come in.

It’s almost midnight now. If we talk for another three minutes, they should disperse.In the evening, the staff will stay up all night drafting new documents. As soon as Shen Zechuan gets up at 9 o’clock tomorrow morning, he will go to the study room to review the details, discuss the details with everyone, and post them before noon the day after tomorrow.

“As soon as winter comes, the mutual market in Libei will also be put into use.” Shen Zechuan stood at the door and said to Zhou Gui, “If you can talk to the Yan family, we can talk, but if you can’t, it’s okay. When the time comes, we will make a detour from Huaizhou to Juexi. Although the distance is far, we can find a way to use the waterway of Dicheng Huajia, and the military supplies-”

Ding Tao came in from the courtyard door and jumped over the railing in a few steps.Shen Zechuan stopped talking and motioned for Ding Tao to speak first.

Ding Tao’s cheeks were slightly red and she said excitedly: “Sir, the Crown Princess is here!”