Yipin Farmer

Tingshuang went to the county government to find Yang Sanli, and asked him to show his household registration in the county, issue food stamps to each household, and supply food in a limited amount.

"What? Food stamps?" What is this stuff?Yang Sanli was dazzled by Ting Shuang's whimsical thoughts, this person has so many messy ideas.

"It is to issue food stamps based on each person's monthly grain consumption. In addition to money, food stamps must be used to buy food. Now that there is a shortage of food, we can only ration it in this way."

Ting Shuang reluctantly explained that food stamps are a wonderful thing in a special era of modern society. The hungry and frightened Chinese regard them as more valuable than money. Later, the economy developed food stamps, an era of material shortages. The unique and special items withdrew from the stage of history and became objects that witnessed a special period of history. Unexpectedly, they were used by him in this era.Thinking of using obsolete food stamps in this era, Ting Shuang was sweating white hair, so she had to temporarily use them to solve the immediate urgent needs.

Baoqi learned that Ting Shuang had concealed the difficulties encountered in selling grain, and knew his intentions, so she sighed secretly, and sent troops to "invite" a few grain merchants to beat them hard, reminding them that their heads were court Shuang saved those who survived, let them see each other, and they were not allowed to show any more demon moths, and sent soldiers to guard the grain stores.When the grain merchant saw soldiers with knives straddling their waists standing in front of their store, they were so frightened that they dared not raise the price any more. What's the use of raising the price.

News of Baoqi's complete victory in annihilating Gao Cheng's five thousand soldiers and horses was soon reported to the capital.

The emperor was surprised and delighted when he saw the report. With the imperial army losing everywhere, Baoqi's victory was like a shot in the arm to rebuild the confidence of the depressed imperial army.

Of course there is positive news and there is negative news.

In the imperial study room, the emperor was so angry that he circled around the imperial case, ignoring the majesty of the emperor, and cursed: "You bastard, the officials are secretly collaborating with the rebels, and the profiteers also take the opportunity to hoard and raise prices. These people still have the imperial court in their eyes." ?"

University scholar Zhang Tingjing hurriedly persuaded: "The emperor calm down, don't anger the dragon's body, it is inevitable that some people fish in troubled waters during the war."

"It's inevitable. Now is the critical moment of the battle with the Wu thief. How can things be done if the place is unstable and the rear is unstable? If you don't give a little shock, these people really think that the court can't hold on." The emperor was still very angry. The decree: "Decree, all profiteers who hoard money for profiteering and kill a few leaders, and those who secretly communicated with the rebel army will be executed immediately, and there is no need to go through the third trial."

Ruan Ying, another scholar, also said: "Your Majesty is a sage, it is necessary to use heavy scriptures to rule a troubled world, which is exactly what it should be."

The emperor rubbed his aching temples and said, "I'm not a person who kills indiscriminately, but these people are too outrageous."

"The emperor calm down. In fact, there are some people who don't hoard wealth and don't make war fortune. There are good people and bad people at any time, and those who are loyal to the court still account for the majority." Ruan Ying persuaded again.

"Who?" The emperor felt that it would be harsh to kill people without going through three trials, and wanted to set up some positive examples to persuade his subjects.

"It's Meng Tingshuang, the farmer who assisted in the aftermath of the earthquake last time and sold medicine at a reasonable price. Do you remember, Your Majesty?"

The emperor tapped his head and thought for a while: "Is that the farmer who has a bear at home?"

"It's this person." Ruan Ying explained how Tingshuang stabilized food prices, took the lead in donating military salaries, led the villagers to dig tunnels to eliminate bandits and rebels, and tried to build explosive landmines.

The emperor was moved by lasagna tears. This man had hoarded food and medicines in advance. It can be seen that he has a great vision. In such a troubled world, he can refuse temptation. If he sells these things at a high price, he does not know how much money he will make. local market.Such a good person is really hard to find.

Ruan Ying laughed again: "First there was an earthquake, and then there was a war. Several good opportunities to make a lot of money were given up. Many people said he was stupid."

"Not making fortunes from disasters and wars, this is not stupidity, this is high moral integrity, this is loyalty, bravery, filial piety..." The emperor wanted to use all the words of praise. "Is he the seventh rank now? Pass the decree to give Meng Tingshuang the sixth rank."

Zhang Tingjing on the other side ate it, curled his lips and said, "He's not Gao Jie, he's cunning, he just wants to get more benefits."

Zhang Tingjing said about Ting Shuang's incitement of wealthy businessmen to donate to the army: "He said that although the court is at a disadvantage now, it will definitely win in the future. We help the officers and soldiers now, and the war will subside in the future. The court will not forget the people who contributed. It will be beneficial, and he will earn more at that time. After all, he is still a businessman who puts a long line to catch big fish, and he will not do things that are not beneficial."

Unexpectedly, when the emperor heard this, instead of being angry, he became even more moved.

Since the vassal lord rebelled, the imperial army retreated steadily. Many people were pessimistic and disappointed, thinking that the Han people in the world were taking the opportunity to counterattack. It was suggested that he issue an imperial edict to appease the feudal lord and apologize in disguise, and some even suggested that he return to the outside of the pass. In short, he felt that the emperor was useless, unable to control the situation, and untrustworthy.

The courtiers did not dare to say clearly, how could he, the emperor, not be able to see it, his chest was full of breath and he couldn't get up and choked uncomfortably, he felt extremely wronged, and he only sighed that the world is so big that no one can be my confidant.

But in a remote, inconspicuous small village, a farmer said to the rich merchants in the city: "I believe that the imperial court will definitely win."

How could this not make him so moved that he burst into tears, wishing he could stretch out his arms across thousands of mountains and rivers to shake hands with that confidant whom he had never met before.

"He wants to get benefits from the court, right? You don't have to wait until the war subsides, I will give it now." The emperor was encouraged and generous, "Decree, give Meng Tingshuang a fifth-rank rank, and give priority to his family's goods for military supplies."

Zhang Tingjing and the others were stunned by this unexpected result, what happened to the emperor?

Thinking of a person somewhere who had never met who firmly believed that he would win, the emperor clenched his fists excitedly: "I will deliver the decree again, whoever dares to leave the customs in the future, and talk about making peace with the feudal thieves will be killed immediately."

"Ah? This..." Zhang Tingjing was tongue-tied, "King Wu... oh, Wu Thief's truce conditions..."

The king of Wu stopped his army on the south bank of the Yangtze River and dared not fight there. He wrote a letter to the court, saying that he was willing to cease fighting and divide the river with the court to divide the territory.Many people in the imperial court suggested accepting his peace negotiation conditions, quelling the war as soon as possible, and keeping the current territory.

Knowing that the ministers were still waiting and watching with a fluke mentality, the emperor slapped the table again: "I will pass on the decree again, and all the family members of the Wu thief in Beijing will be taken out of the front door and beheaded. Let the people in the capital watch to show that I and the Wu thief have sworn to each other." Make up your mind."

With the decree of Sheng Tingshuang's fifth-rank official, the decree of appointing Baoqi as General Pingnan to go south to pacify Huguang also came down at the same time.

The ministers were stunned by repeated decrees like a series of thunderbolts. Baoqi is a relative of the emperor, so it’s fine to appoint a noble relative to seek thieves. It’s a trivial matter to promote a farmer to a fifth-rank official. All the ministers were shocked, and had to cheer up after the shock. Now that the emperor had lost his way out, he no longer had to think about peace talks, and could only focus on following the emperor to fight against the rebels.

With the arrival of the decree of appointment, Tingzhi and Qinshu, who had recommended themselves to join the army, also arrived in Changping County. The emperor saw that these two were frail scholars and did not want to dampen their enthusiasm for serving the country, so he granted their request and sent the two together. He arranged to serve at the Shenwu Army guarding Gyeonggi, to do some paperwork and other things, and now he sent people to Changping to announce the decree, and let the two of them go with him by the way, which is also considerate.

Ting Zhi was jumping with joy at the thought of going home to see her relatives.When he got home, Ting Shuang shot a thump on his forehead and scolded: "Stinky boy, you won't be obedient if your wings are stiff, will you? I want to join the army, do I agree? You dare to make up your own mind, and you dare to lie to me. "

Tingzhi shrank away from being scolded, and Baoqi persuaded: "Stop scolding, Zhizhi also wants to earn military merits, so she can be tougher in the Shen family in the future. Now the war is raging, and the scientific examination does not know when it will resume. What else can he do if he doesn't take the path of military merit? You privately said that Qi Chongyu and Yang Sanli belong to the kind of nerds who have nothing but knowledge but can't do practical things. You don't want Zhizhi to be like them. You want to give Zhizhi a chance to exercise. If you are worried, let him follow me."

Ting Shuang calmed down after scolding, and thought that Tingzhi's scientific examination had indeed been delayed, and she could only follow the path of joining the army. Do more practical things to avoid being a nerd, so she had to acquiesce in Tingzhi's stay in the army with Baoqi.

Ting Zhi was relieved to see that her elder brother had no objection, and asked again: "Is the family all right?"

"What a fart." Ting Shuang was frustrated. The farming in the field was delayed by the war, not to mention the bad harvest. What's more terrible was that Shi Xiangyun was pregnant with a child. Just in case, he ordered all the female relatives to be moved to the village, but Shi Xiangyun took his body into the tunnel and was tossed, frightened and tired. A six-month-old boy was lost. The old couple of the Shi family were heartbroken. The damn war can't even keep the unborn child.

Baoqi persuaded again: "Don't be sad, the youngest couple are young, they can have another life."

Ting Shuang has always been optimistic and looking forward, discarding the things that didn't go well, and turned to Bao Qi to congratulate him: "Now you are appointed General Pingnan, and you will be rewarded for your ambition in the future. You can show your ambition."

Baoqi was not as happy as he expected, and said: "Don't be too happy, only Han Xin without Xiao He, you can't win a battle."

Ting Shuang was a little startled, and soon understood that fighting is not only about fighting for the commander's ingenuity and the army's combat effectiveness, but also fighting for consumption and supply.

Baoqi made a sad face and said: "The last time I guarded Changping, if you hadn't raised food to donate to the army, I couldn't do anything if my soldiers mutinied. If there was no food support, the rebels would not fight if they surrounded us, and we would be in chaos if we didn't fight." I was starving to death. So the last time I won the victory, half of the credit is due to you. Now I am the general of Pingnan to conquer the rebels. If the supply of military supplies cannot keep up and the combat effectiveness of the army declines, it is not because the intelligence is not as good as the people and the failure, but because Losing without food supply is not a crime of war, and I refuse to accept it."

The old birthday star Wei Xian also smoked a pipe and agreed: "It is said, back then, when Zhuge Liang went out to pray to the mountains and conquered Cao Wei in the north, it was because the food and grass were not available. He was very intelligent, but he died before he could leave the teacher. , often makes the hero burst into tears..."

Baoqi also looks sadly at the bright sky, "Even if I have the talent of Zhuge Wuhou, but if there is not enough food and grass, I can't use my hands and feet, wouldn't it be sad!"

Regarding his worries, Ting Shuang found it difficult to deal with, and asked: "Then which officials in the imperial court are qualified for the post of Liangtai?"

Baoqi smiled meaningfully.

In the royal study of the palace, the emperor watched Baoqi's memorial for a long time without saying a word.

Seeing this, Qi Chongyu, who was in charge of copying the documents while serving the pen and ink, carefully asked: "The emperor has something embarrassing, do you want to call the two great scholars to discuss it?"

The emperor rubbed his brows wearily and said, "Then pass it on."

Soon, several important ministers were called into the palace. They were very worried about the possibility that there was an urgent military situation when they entered the palace so late.

The emperor circulated the memorial on Baoqi to his ministers.Ruan Ying and the others were taken aback when they saw it. Bao Qi actually invited the emperor. If he was appointed General Pingnan to conquer Huguang, Yungui, Tingshuang should be appointed as the general grain platform, so that he could fight the rebels freely without any worries.

The emperor was hesitant. The post of Liangtai is only a fourth-rank title, but it is a very important position. The army's food station is responsible for supplying military supplies, which is related to the success or failure of the entire army, and the success or failure of the army is related to the success or failure of the entire country's overall strategy. , To mobilize the whole body, we must appoint loyal and capable people.Ting Shuang has no fame. Although she has an official title, she has never held a real position. I am afraid that she will not be able to convince the public without experience.

If Baoqi invites him a lucrative seat to make money, the emperor will be a personal favor, but the position of Liangtai is very important. The emperor is not a faint king who affects state affairs with his personal likes and dislikes. I have a good impression, but I dare not hand over such an important position to him.

Ministers began to express their opinions.

Zhang Tingjing made a speech first: "Although the position of Dajun Liangtai is not noble, it is very important. It does not have to be a formal background, but it must be loyal, reliable, experienced, and hard-working talents who care about the overall situation."

Ruan Ying went on to speak: "Master Zhang is right, and Meng Tingshuang just meets these conditions."

The emperor tapped the table with his fingers and was still thinking, and asked Qi Chongyu: "You have been the county magistrate in Changping County for three years, and you are familiar with that person. Do you think this person is qualified for an important position?"

Qi Chongyu was promoted from a seventh-rank local official to a fifth-rank Beijing official. He was only doing some auxiliary copying work in the cabinet, and he was not qualified to participate in important military and political affairs. Seeing the emperor's unconventional consultation, he couldn't help being flattered, and hurriedly reported back seriously: "This man is very good. He came from a rich family. The young master was reduced to penniless and went back to his hometown to farm. If he were replaced by someone else, he would definitely feel sorry for himself, even depressed and self-defeating. He might even go down the wrong path of breaking the law. The family business brings up brothers. This is rare, and the affairs on the food table are complicated and difficult, and this kind of person is needed."

The emperor nodded slightly, and Qi Chongyu was encouraged to speak more freely: "His family was newly defeated at the time, and it was very difficult, but he did not hesitate to collect money. It can be seen that his conduct is high and clean. The grain table has to handle thousands of silver, and this kind of honest person is needed. And in the play When the garden was on fire, he did not panic and frightened the audience, which shows his courage. During the earthquake, he led people to rescue the aftermath, and this time he assisted the Lord of Jinxiang to defend the city. It can be seen that he is reliable and has some experience in handling the aftermath.

He encouraged rich people in the county to raise donations for the construction of water conservancy and to raise money for the army. It can be seen that he still has the ability to handle affairs, and his eloquence is also good.He encountered many difficulties, including natural disasters and man-made disasters, and was framed by others, but he handled them well, and every time he suffered a setback, his career rose to a higher level. In just two or three years, he became someone not to be underestimated in the county. Wealthy households can be seen to be a blessed one. "

The word "blessing" made the emperor a little tempted. The imperial army retreated steadily. He didn't want to admit that the officers and soldiers under his command made mistakes in the battle, because it would mean that he, the emperor, would bear the name of improper employment. Members lack blessings, um, the post of a blessed person may bring some blessings to the leader.

Zhang Tingjing curled his lips and was about to say something when Ruan Ying said, "It is said that his family has a very good reputation. There are merchants who are greedy for cheap and pretend to be his shop to deceive people. He is magnanimous and does not pursue it. It shows his heart. During the earthquake, the war broke out. At that time, he gave up the great opportunity to make money, which shows that he has a far-sighted vision and takes the overall situation into consideration. He should be qualified for the post of Liangtai.

For decades, our dynasty has been in the Central Plains. Emperor Taizu Taizong used talents in any way to break down the Manchu and Han barriers, regardless of their background and seniority. This is how the world's talented people are willing to work for the court, and the world is now rich and peaceful. "

The ministers withdrew, the emperor was still meditating with his hands behind his back, and the light reflected a long figure on the pane.