There is a girl in the village

For Lu Yuanchang and Gu Xiaofu's emotional expressions that are different from those of the nobles, everyone watched the fun with envious eyes, and the young couple seemed to be a sight in Fencheng.Every time Gu Xiaofu went out to a banquet, the noble ladies would ask her for the way of being a husband, which made Gu Xiaofu extremely embarrassed, and the control over Lu Yuanchang was loosened a lot later.

Lu Yuanchang, who has broken free from the shackles, has been enjoying a happy life recently. On the one hand, he is taught by Song Dingtian to take care of military affairs, and on the other hand, he is keen to make more connections with the nobles. With Song Dingtian's acquiescence, Lu Yuanchang hangs out with the nobles almost every day , Drinking tea and discussing politics, drinking and listening to music, fighting cocks and running dogs, the naughty indulgence that had not been experienced in childhood appeared laggardly at this time. Although the behavior seemed a little loose, he made friends with many powerful nobles, and his military salary was enriched for a while.

"Lu Er, where did the general go?" Gu Xiaofu asked lightly, but the invisible anger in his body made Lu Er shrink back a little.

Lu Er lowered his head and stood in front of Gu Xiaofu with his hands down, his mind was spinning non-stop. He had been covering for Lu Yuanchang for a while, and his excuses had already been exhausted.Not to mention that Gu Xiaofu couldn't spare him, but also that Lu Yuanchang couldn't spare him, how could he survive as a servant caught between his masters.

"Lu Er, Ma'am is asking a question, why don't you answer quickly." Seeing that Gu Xiaofu's expression was not good, Ping'er hurriedly mentioned Lu Er.

Lu Er was thinking about it, and raised his head to look at Gu Xiaofu boldly. Seeing her face tense, he thought she was angry. Thinking about the status of Lu Yuanchang and Gu Xiaofu in the mansion in the past, he resolutely decided Abandon Lu Yuanchang and follow Gu Xiaofu.

"Ma'am, the general and the other young masters have gone... to Wenxiang Tower." After saying these words, Lu was sweating profusely, and he did not dare to look at Gu Xiaofu.

"The general is going there every day?" Gu Xiaofu suppressed her anger and asked lightly.

"No...no, the general is busy with military affairs and doesn't go there often. Today, Wenting Hou Shizi asked the general for riding and shooting, and he insisted on being the host to thank the general." Lu Er thought, he helped everything he could, and Lu Yuanchang knew it well .

Gu Xiaofu turned pale when she heard the words, and let Lu Er go down, while she went back to the main room, Ping'er took care of her carefully, and comforted her: "Ma'am, the general may not be able to shirk, the general is most reluctant to go to the place of fireworks." of."

In the private room on the third floor of Wenxiang Building, a group of noble sons were serving wine orders and listening to a little song. The girl waited on him, only Lu Yuanchang was next to him, and Zhang Cheng, who was three big and five thick, waited and poured wine, which was really off-putting.

"Brother Lu Xian, what a pity you are living these days~" Wenting Hou Shizi said shaking his head.

Lu Yuanchang smiled lightly, drank slowly, and said gently, "You guys are good at riding and shooting. I will make arrangements soon. How about we go hunting in the outskirts of the city?"

"Good idea, come on, brother Lu Xian, drink!"

The moon was slanting to the west, and the banquet just ended, Lu Yuanchang slipped into the main room like a thief after washing, she didn't dare to disturb Gu Xiaofu, she just huddled in a ball by the corner of the big kang, full of alcohol, and after a while Fell asleep.

Gu Xiaofu got up to check, and couldn't help being amused by Lu Yuanchang's cautious look, she took some effort to straighten her, and automatically retracted into Lu Yuanchang's arms to keep warm.

The northern border is very peaceful, there are no natural disasters, no disasters, the people are waiting for this season's wheat and harvest, and many people from Guanzhong have flowed into the northern border to avoid disasters.The northern border has been in war for many years, people's livelihood has declined, and the population is scarce. Song Dingtian issued a governor's order. For those who are new to the northern border, poor households can enter the county government to change their registration and receive an acre of wasteland.

As soon as this order came out, not only people from Guanzhong, but people from the south also poured into the northern border, and the depressed northern border gradually became lively.

Fortune is where misfortune rests, and misfortune is where blessings lie, the new monarch who is struggling to clean up the court, after achieving some results, naturally turns his eyes to the border again.

The south is in chaos, Guanzhong is in chaos, the west is better, but the north is full of vitality, the new emperor is much wiser than the previous emperor, a piece of edict shocked the upper echelons of the north.

In the study of the Song Mansion, all the senior generals of the Zhenbei Army gathered. Everyone had a sad face. Why, the new emperor’s edict said: the country is in turmoil, civil upheavals in various places, the north is peaceful, and there is no worry of external troubles, so the food and salaries of the Zhenbei Army have been reduced. , Appropriate disarmament, to fund the central and southern military supplies for disaster relief.

What a way to draw salary from the bottom of the pot!

"We cheated Xinjun last year, and this time it's a repayment." Wang Chao said, but he was never as angry as before, and the setback made him grow a lot.

"That's right, we recruited and trained soldiers, and it was so easy to train them to look good. Now the bamboo basket fetching water is in vain."

"Although the military salary of the imperial court is not much, it is still a large sum. Without this income, we have to cut our troops."

"A Yuan, what do you think?" Everyone's words made Song Dingtian frown. He was not afraid of the imperial court when Rong and Di oppressed him, but now that the danger of Rong and Di has been resolved, he really has nothing to rely on.

"Father-in-law, if you don't want to be dismissed, you will have to be dismissed. The new monarch's plan is quite vicious." Lu Yuanchang said helplessly. The new monarch has the upper hand in the legal order. If the Zhenbei Army does not openly rebel, it will definitely have to obey orders on the surface.

"Forget it, you wait to do it." Song Dingtian also had nothing to do.

Lu Yuanchang received his errand and began to be busy. Disarmament is also very particular. The old, weak and disabled soldiers naturally return to their hometowns. The military salary is in short supply. At this time, the dismissal fee will inevitably be reduced. The responsibility was all pushed to the new king, which made the soldiers extremely dissatisfied with the court.

After the remnant soldiers were abolished, the Zhenbei Army still couldn't afford the [-] government soldiers stationed in the northern border. Lu Yuanchang was cruel and let some of the government soldiers with low combat power return to their hometowns. At this time, the autumn harvest is about to come, and returning to the field can save some loss.

The hearts of the Zhenbei soldiers were fluctuating and their morale was low. After discussing with the generals, Lu Yuanchang asked the generals to select outstanding soldiers from the government soldiers to enrich the private army. In this way, many soldiers saw hope and practiced. Also extremely hard.

The government soldiers now understand that if the imperial court and Song Dingtian do not deal with each other, it is inevitable that they will be implicated, but the generals of the Zhenbei Army have done their best to protect everyone's interests. Compassionate for the hardships of the soldiers, the king is not wise, how to make the soldiers surrender, although the government soldiers are commanded by generals, but they are also soldiers of the court, and the idea of ​​loyalty to the emperor is quite strong, but the new king's actions will make the government soldiers chill.

Under Lu Yuanchang's deliberate operation, the soldiers in the Northern Territory became more and more pro-Song, and they trained extremely hard. They only hoped that they would be promising, that they could join the general's private army, follow the general to fight in the country, and be able to advance to the military rank faster.

However, with such a reduction, the remaining government soldiers can be stationed in the border military town, and the soldiers that the generals can mobilize are almost their own relatives.

"Father-in-law, what do you think?" Lu Yuanchang presented the results of the disarmament.

"That's great. Those who stay are all veterans and elite teachers. We have been fighting in the north for a long time, and it's time to recuperate." Song Dingtian nodded in satisfaction.

The autumn harvest is in full swing. There is less rain this year, but overall it is not bad. Although the harvest is hard for the people, their faces are filled with the joy of a good harvest.Gu Xiaofu was busy with the account books every day, and the busier she was, the more energetic she became. The land in the Lu family was irrigated by a reservoir, and the harvest was excellent, and the landlady could still be unhappy.

Lu Yuanchang glanced at the account books and found that the five thousand private soldiers with his own income were more than enough to support him. He couldn't help admiring Gu Xiaofu. A good wife is like a treasure. great effect.

Grain was put into warehouses, and silver was put into warehouses. When the northern border was still immersed in joy, the imperial court issued an order to increase taxes across the country!

Originally, two out of ten was already a very high tax, but the new king wanted disaster relief and military training, and he had no money in his hands, so he had to brazenly ask the people for it.Among them, Guanzhong did not raise taxes due to the war, and the south drew three out of ten, and the west and north took four out of ten. Now, Guo Daming first quit, refusing to resist the tax. It's not much better. The people survived the snowstorm last year, and now they are counting on this season's grain for the winter, and they have to smoke four out of ten, which can't kill them.

Guo Daming resolutely resisted the decree, and the imperial court issued an edict to reprimand him, and issued an edict to invite Guo Daming to go to Beijing to plead guilty. Take refuge in Xixia, it's a rebellion!

In Song Dingtian's study room, the generals were mixed with joy and sorrow, and the atmosphere was very heavy.

If the new king is in a prosperous age, he can be regarded as a promising king, but he is in this last age, so he can only feel that he was born at an untimely time.

"Tell me, what should I do in the north?" Song Dingtian asked when he saw that everyone was silent.

"This is an opportunity. Guo Daming has stationed troops in Ganzhou, and will soon march into Yunxiang. The Western Army has preserved its strength, and its combat power will not decrease. The new king has no good soldiers in his hands. It may be difficult to resist the Western Army. I can't wait...no like…"

"You mean I'll wait for you?" Song Dingtian asked with a sullen face.

Song Dingtian was too serious at the moment, no one dared to answer, everyone looked at Lu Yuanchang, Lu Yuanchang could only bite the bullet and said, "Now is not the time."

Song Dingtian calmed down after hearing the words, and asked, "Ah Yuan, tell me."

"Let's not say that we are not prepared enough, not enough troops, not enough supplies, food and salaries. As far as the court is concerned, it is not enough. The new king has cleaned up the court, and he has also opened the envoy to take office. The government affairs are gradually smooth. Those who are lacking, but Sworn to the death of elite soldiers."

"Training soldiers is not a day's work. If Guo Daming hits the capital city, can the new king still send helpless scholars to kill the enemy?" a general said differently.

"The new lord has no soldiers, but there are still in the south. After weighing the pros and cons, with the ruthlessness of the new lord, it is expected that he will seek skin from a tiger and give Prince Mu military power. The southern army will fight the western army, and the outcome is uncertain. If the two sides are in a stalemate, The new monarch will have a chance to breathe, and wait for Xu Tuzhi." Lu Yuanchang frowned, and the current situation is too complicated, and she is not sure about the court's movements.

"The new king is in a dilemma. I will do my best to help the Western Army. When the new king is finished, it will not be too late for me to compete with Guo Daming." A general said domineeringly.

"If we participate in the war, the victory or defeat may be inclined to us, but after the war, we will also suffer heavy losses. At that time, our northern army and the western army will fight each other. The big Chu in the south and the big Xia in the west may have a share of the pie. How can Dazhou be bullied by barbarians because of civil war!"

As soon as Lu Yuanchang said this, the generals clamoring for Ming rebellion were very discouraged. One general said fiercely: "Could it be possible that we still want to help the tyrant, exploit the people, enrich the treasury, strengthen the new king and weaken ourselves?"

"Speaking of it, it's just a matter of a few taels of silver. Don't get angry, everyone." Just when everyone was in a stalemate, Wang Chao suddenly laughed.

Everyone looked at Wang Chao in puzzlement, "A few taels of silver", thanks to this stupid guy who can say it.

"Cousin, do you have a solution for the tax increase?" Lu Yuanchang was also surprised, when did Wang Chao's brains work so well.

"Of course, let me ask you first, does your family pay taxes?" Wang Chao asked triumphantly, scanning the crowd with wide eyes.

"We are officials, how can we pay taxes." A general said disdainfully.

As clever as Lu Yuanchang, he immediately understood what Wang Chao said, and admired the son of this aristocratic family.

"That's the end of it. Let the people voluntarily put the land under the name of the officials. We only take [-]% according to the precedent, and the rest will belong to them. The knowledgeable keepers are crying and rushing to give us the land. The generals are not money these days. Is the bag empty, but you don’t know how to take advantage of such a good opportunity! And those who don’t want to deserve it, I’m going to see how much the dog and Japanese emperor can take.” Wang Chao said vulgarly, but everyone felt that Wang Chao was like his own father. of.

"High, it is high!"

"Hahaha~"

Lu Yuanchang looked at Wang Chao's embarrassing look, and couldn't laugh or cry. Only a century-old nobleman like him would be clear about the gangsters who exploited the people in disguise, and he was not ashamed, but proud.